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Real Madrid’s preparation for the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao in Malaga on Thursday has been less than ideal.
The stars of Zinedine Zidane arrived in Pamplona on Friday before a LaLiga match with Osasuna the following day, with the traveling group trapped in their plane for five hours after it failed to take off due to the treacherous conditions of Storm Filomena, which has covered large areas of Spain with heavy snowfall.
There were real doubts as to whether the match would take place and the visitors could have been the match had been postponed when a 0-0 draw ensued, with Los Blancos now just one point behind arch rival Atlético de Madrid, despite having played three games. plus.
Madrid-Barajas airport, which closed Friday night due to conditions, is due to reopen on Monday for arrivals, according to Spain’s Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos.
Real, therefore, must stay in Pamplona for the third consecutive night and have decided to fly to Malaga on Monday morning, the venue for their match with Athletic.
A return to Madrid on Monday before flying to Andalusia was deemed unfeasible by the club due to dangerous conditions and the possible additional chaos that could result, according to Marca.
Ábalos defended the Real’s decision to fly to Pamplona saying: “The airport was operational, but with difficulties … the pilot had the last word and considered that there were conditions to take off safely.”
If Real beat Athletic at La Rosaleda, they will face Barcelona or Real Sociedad in the final at Sevilla’s La Cartuja stadium on Sunday, nine days after their trip to Pamplona.
The reigning LaLiga champions are also the Spanish Super Cup champions, beating Atlético in January last year in what was the inaugural year of a four-team format in the competition.
Before 2020, the Spanish Super Cup had just presented a final between the winners of LaLiga and the Copa del Rey.
Now, the winners and runners-up of both competitions will fight for the equivalent of the Community Shield.
Bilbao’s preparations for the Super Cup have also been affected by the weather, with Saturday’s league clash against Atlético de Madrid suspended and the visiting team returned from the capital’s airport before its closure.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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