FC Barcelona Has Been Caught Spying On Bitter Rivals Real Madrid

FC Barcelona has been caught spying on its bitter rival Real Madrid as explained by Catalan paper ... [+] SPORT.

FC Barcelona has been caught spying on its bitter rival Real Madrid as explained by Catalan paper SPORT.

The eternal enemies of El Clasico are currently in Saudi Arabia, and could meet in the Spanish Super Cup decider on Sunday in what would be a repeat of 2023's final in the same country won by the Blaugrana.

Though the two same men are in the dug out, some things have changed with both sides since that day that brought the first piece of silverware in Xavi Hernandez's reign.

Los Blancos no longer have Karim Benzema - who scored in their 3-1 defeat and now plies his trade in the Middle East kingdom in question - and the goal-and-assist hero of that encounter Gavi is out injured for the rest of the season.

Madrid guaranteed its berth in the final by beating crosstown foes Atletico Madrid 5-3 in a thrilling semi-final that required extra time.

But as SPORT points out, there more than just boisterous local fans of the Spanish capital giants in the KC Stadium as Xavi sent three "spies" from his coaching staff to witness the action.

They were namely analysts Toni Lobo, David Prats and Sergio Garcia, who will have been keeping an eye out for any subtle or obvious differences from October 28's meeting at the Montjuic Stadium where Madrid beat the hosts 2-1 and handed them their maiden defeat of the season.

While Prats and Garcia are charged with analyzing the opponent, Lobo must make suggestions on how Barca can react to it.

Since the two teams last locked horns on the mentioned date, Madrid has become especially dangerous at set pieces often terminated by central defender Antonio Rudiger.

The ex-Chelsea stalwart is in the form of his life, and has scored important headed goals twice in January alone.

It remains to be seen if Madrid will have anyone go under the radar to check what Xavi's men are up to when they take on Osasuna Thursday night, and then report back to Carlo Ancelotti with their findings.

While Copa del Rey runners up in 2022/2023 Osasuna must be respected, all signs point to another epic showdown between Barca and Madrid at the weekend which both outfits will be well-prepared for.