Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are set to square off in the second semifinal of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup on Thursday, January 8, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. With FC Barcelona already through to the final, both clubs from the Spanish capital are focused on securing a spot in the championship match and lifting the first trophy of the 2025–26 season.
Atletico enter the match following a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad, a result that leaves them fourth in La Liga with 38 points. Still, Diego Simeone’s side will draw confidence from their most recent meeting with their city rivals, when they overwhelmed Real Madrid 5-2 in September.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have begun to regain momentum after a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, putting together a four-game winning streak that includes a dominant 5-1 victory over Real Betis. In a turbulent start to the 2025-26 campaign marked by controversy, a positive result could help stabilize the situation, while another setback would likely intensify scrutiny around the club.
Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid’s biggest absence
One of Real Madrid’s main challenges in this matchup will be coping with the absence of star forward Kylian Mbappé. The French striker suffered a knee sprain in December and has been sidelined since, ultimately missing out on selection for the squad competing in the Spanish Super Cup.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid celebrates scoring a goal in LaLiga.
Mbappé’s importance to the team this season is hard to overstate: in addition to being in the Golden Boot race, he has scored 29 goals in all competitions, accounting for more than half of Real Madrid’s 57 total goals. While their top scorer will be unavailable, Los Blancos showed their attacking depth against Betis and will aim to replicate that performance against a far more demanding Atletico side.
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Confirmed lineups for Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid’s confirmed lineup (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Connor Gallagher, Álex Baena; Alexander Sorloth, Julian Alvarez.
Head coach: Diego Simeone.
Real Madrid’s confirmed lineup (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras; Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., Gonzalo Garcia.
Head coach: Xabi Alonso.
