Real Madrid Seek Early Edge over Barcelona in Spanish Supercopa

La Liga kicks off in a week's time, and both Real Madrid and Barcelona will want to use the Supercopa as preparation for the intense action that lies ahead of them.

Even though preseason friendlies do not actually count toward the record of a team in the actual season, they undoubtedly play a part in how the team performs when it matters.

In that regard, Real Madrid are well prepared for the new season, while the same cannot be said of Barcelona.

Real Madrid jetted out to various parts of the globe for their preseason and performed in true Jose Mourinho fashion in most of their matches.

Barcelona, on the other hand, spent most of the season chasing transfer targets and have just seen their major players arrive after the Copa America holiday.

As a result, Real Madrid are likely to be fitter and sharper than Barcelona, who mostly fielded their reserve and second-string teams in the friendlies.

Even though the Supercopa is not regarded by Barcelona as a major competition, Jose Mourinho is unlikely to think of it in the same way. Right from his Porto days, Mourinho has always been clear about winning the first trophy in a season as soon possible. This usually lifted the pressure off his team and allowed them to enjoy the first few weeks of the season.

Going by the importance that the Portuguese gave to the friendlies, it is very likely that Real Madrid will be fielding a strong lineup. This will be an entirely new scenario for Barcelona, who had it easy for the last two seasons in the Supercopa.

The winner of this competition not only gets their hands on the trophy, but they also claim a significant advantage over the other in the title race.

Perhaps, this could be the first time Barcelona take the Supercopa seriously. There have already been signs of this change in Barcelona's attitude. They apparently have requested Cesc Fabregas to arrive at Barcelona and complete his transfer formalities only after the first leg of the Supercopa is done and dusted this weekend.

As for the injuries, both teams seem to be suffering from their fair shares of problems.

Real Madrid will be without Sergio Ramos, while Xavi, Pique, Busquets, and Puyol are doubtful for Barcelona.

Jose Mourinho will be hoping to take advantage of this injury situation and the home advantage for a first-leg lead.

You can watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona live on Al Jazeera Sport HD1, Sky Sports HD1 (in UK and Ireland), Sport 1 HD (Germany), Sport 1 HD (Holland), and many other TV stations.