LAS VEGAS, United States: Barcelona take on Real Madrid in a pre-season Clasico friendly in Las Vegas on Saturday that promises to offer a glimpse into the future of the Spanish giants’ iconic rivalry.
The gaudy capital in the Nevada desert is more commonly associated with hosting blockbuster heavyweight boxing contests than clashes between members of European football’s aristocracy.
But for one night at least, just a stone’s throw from the shimmering neon lights of the Vegas Strip, the beautiful game will take top billing as Barca and Real face off at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team.
The friendly looks set to provide a taste of what the next chapter of Barcelona and Real Madrid’s rivalry may look like.
With the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo long gone from Barcelona and Real respectively, a slew of new signings will be in the spotlight when the two teams take to the field for a game that kicks off at 8pm local time (0300 GMT Sunday).
The friendly could mark the first Clasico confrontation between Real’s veteran French star Karim Benzema and Barcelona’s new attacking recruit Robert Lewandowski.
Benzema has joined up with Real in Los Angeles this week after being granted an extended vacation by the club.
Benzema’s talismanic performances — and goals — were largely responsible for helping Real win a record 14th European Champions League crown in May.
Although earlier reports suggested Benzema would play no part in Saturday’s Clasico, manager Carlo Ancelotti picked the striker to lead the line in a practice game at the UCLA Campus on Thursday, alongside Federico Valverde and Brazilian star Vinicius.
Ancelotti is also likely to give a run-out to new signings Antonio Rudiger, who joined from English club Chelsea, and former Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
“The signings bring great quality to the squad,” Ancelotti said this week.
“They are in the best we could find on the market. Rudiger is a great center-back and Tchouameni is great, very young and has a lot of potential.”
Ancelotti has hinted that he may use Real’s three-game US tour as an opportunity to experiment with his forward line, citing the unusual mid-season disruption that will come this year due to the first ever World Cup being held in the middle of the European football calendar.
“Benzema is first choice but we have to understand that it will be a strange season, with the World Cup in between and we have to look at different options,” Ancelotti said.
One of those options may involve deploying Eden Hazard as a false nine, Ancelotti said.
While many pre-season games often have the feel of glorified practice games, Ancelotti insisted that the mutual antipathy between Real and Barcelona ensured that Saturday’s clash would have an edge.
“It will be a very, very competitive match. It is never an exhibition against Barcelona. It will be a spectacle,” Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti’s Barcelona counterpart, Xavi Hernandez, will also have the chance to run the rule over the club’s summer signings.
Bayern Munich sharpshooter Lewandowski is the club’s marquee acquisition, but Barcelona have also invested heavily to bring in Brazilian forward Raphina from Leeds as well as midfielder Franck Kessie from AC Milan and defender Andreas Christensen from Chelsea.
Lewandowski was unveiled by Barcelona on Wednesday but did not play in the previous night’s 6-0 thrashing of Inter Miami.
The Polish star is desperate to get to work through with his new teammates and could be set for a Clasico debut on Saturday.
“I am always hungry to succeed and have the winning mentality,” Lewandowski said this week. “This is a new challenge for me and I have already seen this is a squad with huge potential.
“There is a lot of quality and I want to do my best for the club. I am ready.”
Lewandowski, Benzema set for duel as Barcelona-Real meet in Vegas ‘Clasico’
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Lewandowski, Benzema set for duel as Barcelona-Real meet in Vegas ‘Clasico’
- The beautiful game will take top billing as Barca and Real face off at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium
- The friendly could mark the first Clasico confrontation between Real's veteran French star Karim Benzema and Barcelona's new attacking recruit Robert Lewandowski
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
