On January 9th, Beijing time, the Spanish Super Cup kicked off with the first semi-final match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. Thanks to Gavi's goal and assist, as well as Ilaixar's goal, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao under the guidance of Valverde. On this night, Barcelona received continuous good news, boosting the team's morale. Barcelona's 2-0 victory feels like finding a treasure! A 34-year-old veteran shone throughout the game, earning high praise from Flick, and the team is hopeful for winning the Spanish Super Cup.
Barcelona overcame Athletic Bilbao, advancing to the Spanish Super Cup final first. The other semi-final will be between Real Madrid and Mallorca, with Barcelona having one more day of rest before the championship match than their final opponents. Barcelona's prodigy Gavi, after major knee surgery, has now scored his first goal since returning, which is helpful in boosting his confidence. Another Barcelona prodigy, Ilaixar, also returned from an ankle injury and scored a goal as well.
Off the field, Barcelona successfully registered Olmo and Victor, and it is expected that both can participate in the Spanish Super Cup final, which is probably the biggest piece of good news for Barcelona fans. Additionally, Barcelona's goalkeeper Szczesny performed outstandingly, delighting the fans. In the match against Athletic Bilbao, Szczesny started ahead of Peña. According to Helena Condis Edo, a reporter from Cadena COPE, Peña was originally supposed to start but was placed on the bench by Flick due to being late for the warm-up training.
Szczesny seized the opportunity to prove his abilities. In the match against Athletic Bilbao, he made five saves, six successful clearances, two high ball interceptions, and had an 86% pass success rate, scoring 8.5 points, the highest of the game. Szczesny gave Barcelona fans a sense of stability, with calm and quick saves and steady ball distribution. In the game, Szczesny also made a decisive save in the last moments of the first half, blocking a close-range shot from Iñaki Williams, preventing Barcelona from being equalized.
Szczesny made his debut for Barcelona in the previous King's Cup match, but since the opponent, Bawastoro, was not very strong, he did not have many opportunities to show his skills. His performance in this match demonstrated his abilities. After the game, Barcelona coach Flick talked about the team's performance, stating that the team's state was excellent in both this match and the previous one, and they achieved victories without conceding any goals, which made Flick satisfied. Flick emphasized that Barcelona did not concede any goals, indicating his high regard for Szczesny.
Szczesny has experience and a height advantage at 196 cm, while Peña is 184 cm and his performance is unstable; Szczesny should start. In the Spanish Super Cup final, Szczesny has the chance to continue starting. Barcelona once defeated Real Madrid 4-0 this season, and the team's morale is high, giving them a great chance to win the Spanish Super Cup.