Overview
- Barcelona reached Sunday’s final with a 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, setting up a clash with the Atlético–Real Madrid winner.
- Kylian Mbappé did not travel and is ruled out of the semifinal with a knee problem, as Alonso confirmed before the match.
- Both teams named their lineups in Jeddah, with Gonzalo García starting for Real Madrid and Alexander Sorloth and Julián Álvarez leading Atlético’s attack.
- Real arrive on a four-match winning run highlighted by García’s hat-trick against Real Betis, but they remain short-handed through injuries.
- Atlético take confidence from a 5-2 league victory over Real earlier this season, while Spanish outlet Defensa Central has been cited in reports of presidential pressure on Alonso’s position.