RIYADH: When Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao take to the pitch in Riyadh on Sunday for the final of the Spanish Super Cup, it will be the third time they have faced each other in a month. This time, though, the first silverware of the season is up for grabs.

Reigning Super Cup champions Bilbao earned the chance to defend their title thanks to a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Thursday, after Real defeated Barcelona 3-2 in extra time the day before.

“We know this team really well because we’ve played them twice already in the past month,” Madrid first-team coach Carlo Ancelotti said during a pre-match press conference in the Saudi capital on Saturday. “Both those games were very competitive and it’ll be the same tomorrow.”

Real emerged victorious over Bilbao in both of their encounters in December. Their familiarity with each other means Sunday’s encounter at the King Fahd International Stadium could well be a tactical battle between both managers to see who learned the most from those recent match-ups.

Commenting on how often the two teams have met lately, Thibaut Courtois, Real’s first-choice goalkeeper, said: “It feels like the NBA, playing Athletic so many times.”

Asked about the recent defeats by Madrid, Bilbao manager Marcelino Toral said: “Madrid got off to a powerful start, in six minutes they penalized us, at San Mames. We have to avoid these situations.”

Ancelotti will have to manage without the services of star player Marco Asensio, who is dealing with a muscular injury and has been ruled out of the final. Real’s last appearance in a Super Cup final was in 2019-2020, when they defeated Atletico Madrid in Jeddah to lift the cup.