The Spanish Super Cup isn't supposed to be this much fun.
The first leg was an exciting match and Barcelona appeared to have escaped with a 2-2 draw. The Catalans will now have the home crowd on their side at Camp Nou when they face Real Madrid in the second leg on Wednesday.
"In the first leg, Madrid was better, in these three days we have improved some things, but I believe they are still better," Barcelona Pep Guardiola said.
Though Real Madrid were expected to be the more aggressive club last Sunday, few experts thought that Barcelona would manage only four shots in the entire match. The Catalans were efficient with their shots -- scoring goals on their first two shots.
Barcelona will have to go back to their basics if they expect a better result in the second leg. The normally effective passing strategy didn't throw Real Madrid off at all, and it seemed that Jose Mourinho's squad were always on the verge of scoring.
Barcelona, on the other hand, may be without defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets, who is injured, and may not have key players like Lionel Messi able to play the full 90 minutes.
One player who doesn't seem likely to play is Cesc Fabregas. Currently a member of Arsenal, the midfielder has yet to move on from Emirates in a deal that appeared to be very imminent. Even if Fabregas was signed on Thursday night, he is not match fit for Sunday.
Barcelona only added one big name: Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean forward joins the Catalans with the departure of Bojan Krkic. Sanchez is seen as an exciting player, though somewhat untested against elite competition.
Real Madrid, however, made four signings but not one player is a high-profile player. Mourinho can still expect big things from wing Fabio Coentrao, forward Jose Callejon, defender Raphael Varane, and midfielders Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop.
This match probably means more to Mourinho, than Pep Guardiola. Real Madrid obviously wants to get the season off on the right foot.
It will be interesting to see if Barcelona starts the season against their arch rival with the same effectiveness they've had against elite opponents last season.
A player to watch will be Thiago Alcantara. The 20-year-old Barcelona midfielder is expected to earn more time this season, and is confident going into Sunday's match.
"It's quite simple: I think that Barcelona will win the trophy," Alcantara recently said. "When you master all defensive and offensive aspects of the game and always enjoy the majority of possession, you're sitting in pole position to win."
Real Madrid only beat Barcelona once last season, which was the 1-0 overtime victory in the Copa del Rey final.
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