High-level espionage for Flick’s Barça

Beyond Athletic’s frailties, Barcelona under Hansi Flick struck fear this Wednesday in Jeddah, romping to a 5–0 win in the semifinal. Goals from Ferran Torres, Fermín López, Roony Bardghji and a brace from Raphinha confirmed their status as favorites after a run of nine straight wins – eight across all competitions since the defeat in London.

The defending champions’ display did not go unnoticed. High-level scouting filled the VIP boxes, with Santiago Solari, Real Madrid’s director of football; Juni Calafat, the club’s international football director and head scout; and Mateu Alemany, Atlético Madrid’s director of professional football, all watching a Barcelona side that will face one of those two rivals this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Real Madrid already know what it is like to beat Barcelona in El Clásico this season. They targeted Barça’s weak spots effectively, dominating the first half and creating chances to pull clear, before eventually settling for a 2–1 win. Atlético Madrid, meanwhile, were beaten recently at the Camp Nou, losing 3–1 in what was arguably Barcelona’s best performance of the season – though even then, Flick’s team endured some uneasy spells, first when Atlético took the lead and later after the score was cut to 2–1.