Agit Kabayel scored a third round stoppage against Damien Knyba in his homecoming fight at the Rudolf Weber-Arena, Oberhausen, and the heavyweight hype train rolls on.
After years relatively dormant, Kabayel burst back onto the scene with a win over undefeated Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov in 2023. He then took another heavyweight’s perfect record in Frank Sanchez, and lifted himself off the canvas to stop Zhilei Zhang in February of 2025 to win the WBC Interim belt.
He started busy, swarming Kabayel and landing effectively, damaging the interim champ’s right eye within just two minutes. Knyba’s uppercut was the standout shot of the first round, and the reach disadvantage looked to be a tricky puzzle for Kabayel to solve.
The German settled into more of a rythym in the second, finding a home for his infamous body shots and taking the steam out of Knyba’s work. Kabayel opened a cut on the challenger in the third and snatched the momentum entirely, putting Knyba on shaky legs via a series of overhand rights in the final minute and not relenting until referee Mark Lyson stepped in to halt the action. Many will recognise it as an early stoppage, even if it did look inevitable.
What next for this German star?
When he asked the crowd who they would like to see him face, chants of ‘Usyk’ rang out. Kabayel confirmed the unified champion is who he wants.
“I wait so long for this title shot. I beat three monsters in Riyadh Season. Give me the world title fight. I’m ready. Really I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Manager Spencer Brown doubled down on the call out:
The year is 2011, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was asked in a Bloomberg interview whether Chinese automaker BYD Auto posed a real competitive threat to Tesla. Musk cheekily laughed and said, “Have you seen their car? I don’t think they have a great product… I don’t think the technology is very strong.”
Fast forward to today, and BYD and Tesla’s sales reports for 2025 are now out – revealing that BYD has officially surpassed Tesla to become the world’s best-selling battery electric vehicle (BEV) maker.
BYD sold a total of 2,254,714 all-electric cars during 2025. For its battery-electric lineup, that is a massive 27.9% year-over-year increase. By contrast, Tesla reported 1,636,129 units sold in 2025, representing a 9% decrease from 2024.
BYD’s numbers for 2025
BYD
That means BYD didn’t just barely outsell Tesla; it outsold the American carmaker by more than 600,000 all-electric cars. So, what drove that outcome? Was it the tech, the build quality, the charging speeds, or something else?
Well, pricing was one of the biggest contributors to this result. In China, the BYD Qin L (119,800 yuan / US$16,500) is almost half the price of its direct competitor, the Tesla Model 3 (235,500 yuan / US$33,000). But it’s not just China – BYD has rapidly scaled across the globe.
As for Tesla, the American automaker recognized that gap – recently introducing low-cost Model 3 and Model Y variants in the USA, which start at $38,630 and $41,630, respectively. However, BYD’s only US-spec model, the Han, still manages to undercut both those Teslas – starting at $25,300.
BYD sold a total of 2,254,714 all-electric cars in 2025
BYD
Even in other regions, like Europe, the low-cost Tesla Model 3 was introduced at €37,970 (which converts to around US$44,000). That’s nearly 17% cheaper than the previous entry-level price. But the same theme continues here as well, with BYD’s most affordable car in the region – the Dolphin Surf, which starts at around €22,990 (~US$26,100) – massively undercutting Tesla once again.
Speaking of global sales, BYD’s international sales exceeded one million units for the first time in the company’s history. That’s a mammoth 150% increase over the previous year.
And it’s not just BEVs. BYD’s sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) further bolstered its sales volume. Through its DM-i portfolio, the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer sold roughly 2,288,709 PHEVs in 2025; a category Tesla doesn’t even compete in.
Tesla’s numbers for 2025
Tesla
In terms of a split, that’s 50.4% of BYD’s sales coming from PHEVs, with 49.6% from BEVs. These numbers add up to almost 4.5 million vehicles sold by the Chinese brand in 2025.
The removal of federal EV incentives has had an impact on Tesla sales in the US over the past three months. In addition, Tesla’s focus has been diverted by its Robotaxi development, with production scheduled for April 2026 – though I don’t know how much or how quickly it will bolster the brand’s sales, if at all.
So what else can Tesla do to cover that gap this year? Hopefully, introduce a more affordable, next-generation platform.
Tesla’s focus has been diverted to the Robotaxi of late
Tesla
As for now, BYD’s rise to the top won’t just irritate Musk and Co., it’ll sting everyone else in the space.
Bob Weir, the guitarist who co-founded the Grateful Dead, has died aged 78.
Weir, a cornerstone of the California psychedelic rock group and many of its offshoots, passed away after a battle with cancer and lung issues, according to a post on his Instagram.
“There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again,” the post says, noting his hopes that his legacy and lengthy catalogue will live on.
The post says he “transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones”.
“He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him,” the post continues. “May that dream live on through future generations of Dead Heads.”
With a career spanning more than 60 years, Weir’s big break was in 1965 with the founding of the Grateful Dead. Within a few years, they became a force within San Francisco’s characteristic counterculture.
Quickly their style began shaping rock music – blending psychedelia and 1960s drug culture with musical tones that fused folk and Americana. They are considered one of the pioneers of jam bands.
The group was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammy’s in 2007.
The group officially halted in 1995 with the death of fellow co-founder Jerry Garcia.
But Weir was involved in various spin-offs, including Dead & Company, which had a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in 2024 and 2025.
Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July and even while being treated, he continued to perform, according to the post on his page.
“Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts,” the post says. “Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design.”
He beat cancer before his death, the posts adds. It’s unclear what type of cancer he had been diagnosed with.
His family, including wife Natascha and children Shala and Chloe, asked for privacy but said they appreciated the “outpouring of love, support, and remembrance”.
Tributes started to pour in late on Saturday from fellow musicians. Even the Empire State Building in New York City honoured the rock legend by shining with tie-dye colours to memorise him.
Slash, guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, posted a photo of Weir playing on stage. He wrote “RIP” with a broken-heart emoji.
Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder posted a lengthy tribute.
“I first saw Bob at Woodstock with the Grateful Dead and was blown away by that whole band, and the musicianship,” Felder posted on Instagram with a photo of himself with Weir.
“I feel so blessed to have been able to have him sing on ‘Rock You’ from American Rock and Roll. Until we meet again, amigo.”
His former publicist, Dennis McNally, spoke with BBC News about his music and the fun memories they shared.
“He had a very off-kilter, unusual sense of humour that was dry and funny,” he said. “The road was his life, and music was his life.”
He said playing and serving the music was what “he was put on Earth for and he did it to the end”.
These are the key developments from day 1,417 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 11 Jan 202611 Jan 2026
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Here is where things stand on Sunday, January 11:
Fighting:
Russian forces launched artillery and drone attacks on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday, killing a 68-year-old man, wounding three others and causing fires to break out in residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.
Russian shelling also killed another person in the Kramatorsk district of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the service said.
Three other Ukrainians were killed, and nine more were wounded, in Russian attacks on the areas of Yarova, Kostyanynivka and Sloviansk in Donetsk, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported 139 combat clashes on Saturday and said that Russia launched 33 air strikes, deployed more than 4,430 drones and carried out 2,830 attacks on Ukrainian troops and settlements.
Russian forces advanced near the villages of Markove and Kleban-Byk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring site DeepState, but no other major changes were reported.
In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, engineers are working “around the clock” to restore electricity to residents after thousands of apartments lost power during Russia’s Thursday attacks, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration.
Heat supplies have been returned to roughly half the homes that lost power, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko added.
Russia’s TASS news agency reported that two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on Saturday that 600,000 people in the area were without electricity, heating and water after a Ukrainian missile strike.
Ukrainian forces also carried out a drone strike on Russia’s Volgograd region, sparking a fire at an oil depot in the Oktyabrsky district, regional authorities said.
The Ukrainian military said on Saturday it had struck the Zhutovskaya oil depot in Volgograd overnight.
Russian air defence systems, meanwhile, intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the agency reported.
Politics and diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council will host an emergency meeting on January 12 to “address Russia’s flagrant breaches of the UN Charter”, after Russia fired an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the Polish border, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
The foreign minister also spoke out about the antigovernment protests rocking Iran, saying that “Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its oppression of its own citizens are part of the same policy of violence and disrespect for human dignity”.
The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, insisted that Russia will not accept European or NATO troops in Ukraine and that “European dimwits want a war in Europe after all”.
“Well, come on then. This is what you’ll get”, the deputy chairman added, accompanied by a video of the Oreshnik strike.
The Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest report that Russia’s Oreshnik strike was likely “aimed to scare Western countries from providing military support to Ukraine, particularly from deploying forces to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement”.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, “once again reached out to our American partners”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “We continue communication with the American side practically every day,” he said.
South Africa kicked off a week of naval drills, also attended by Russia, Iran and China.
Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, told the opening ceremony that the drills are “a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together”.
Sanctions
Zelenskyy pledged on X that “we will continue strengthening the sanctions toolkit” and that “all lines of pressure on Russia and individuals associated with it must be maintained”.
In reference to recent news that US President Donald Trump has greenlit a bill to sanction countries that buy Russian oil, Zelenskyy said: “What is important is that the US Congress is back in motion on tougher sanctions against Russia – targeting Russian oil. This can truly work.”
Energy
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russian oil products have “significantly increased” after Bloomberg reported that Russian refined fuel flows hit a four-month high in December, driven by stronger diesel shipments from ports in the Baltic Sea. Dmitriev added on X that “fake warmonger narratives are bad for decision-making”.
Separately, Bloomberg also reported that Russia’s crude oil production dropped to its lowest level in a year and a half in December, hitting 9.32 million barrels per day.
As Venezuelan detainee Diógenes Angulo left a prison in San Francisco de Yare after a year and five months behind bars, his family appeared to be in shock.
He was detained two days before the 2024 presidential election after he posted a video of an opposition demonstration in Barinas, the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez.
As he emerged from the jail in San Francisco de Yare, approximately an hour’s drive south of the capital Caracas, he learned that former President Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces Jan. 3 in a nighttime raid in the capital.
Angulo told The Associated Press that his faith gave him the strength to keep going during his detention.
“Thank God, I’m going to enjoy my family again,” he said, adding that others still detained “are well” and have high hopes of being released soon.
Families with loved ones in prison gathered for a third consecutive day Saturday outside prisons in Caracas and other communities, hoping to learn of a possible release.
On Thursday, Venezuela’s government pledged to free what it described as a significant number of prisoners.
But as of Saturday, only 11 people had been released, up from nine a day prior, according to Foro Penal, an advocacy group for prisoners based in Caracas. Eight hundred and nine remained imprisoned, the group said. It was not immediately clear if Ángulo’s release was among the 11.
A relative of activist Rocío San Miguel, one of the first to be released and who relocated to Spain, said in a statement that her release “is not full freedom, but rather a precautionary measure substituting deprivation of liberty.”
Among the prominent members of the country’s political opposition who were detained after the 2024 presidential elections and remain in prison are former lawmaker Freddy Superlano, former governor Juan Pablo Guanipa, and Perkins Rocha, lawyer for opposition leader María Corina Machado. The son-in-law of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González also remains imprisoned.
One week after the U.S. military intervention in Caracas, Venezuelans aligned with the government marched in several cities across the country demanding the return of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The pair were captured and transferred to the United States, where they face charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism.
Hundreds demonstrated in cities including Caracas, Trujillo, Nueva Esparta and Miranda, many waving Venezuelan flags. In Caracas, crowds chanted: “Maduro, keep on going, the people are rising.”
Acting president Delcy Rodríguez, speaking at a public social-sector event in Caracas, again condemned the U.S. military action on Saturday.
“There is a government, that of President Nicolás Maduro, and I have the responsibility to take charge while his kidnapping lasts … . We will not stop condemning the criminal aggression,” she said, referring to Maduro’s ousting.
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media: “I love the Venezuelan people and I am already making Venezuela prosperous and safe again.”
After the shocking military action that overthrew Maduro, Trump stated that the United States would govern the South American country and requested access to oil resources, which he promised to use “to benefit the people” of both countries.
Venezuela and the United States announced Friday that they are evaluating the restoration of diplomatic relations, broken since 2019, and the reopening of their respective diplomatic missions. A mission from Donald Trump’s administration arrived in the South American country on Friday, the State Department said.
Amid global anticipation over the fate of the South American country, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil responded to Pope Leo XIV, who on Friday called for maintaining peace and “respecting the will of the Venezuelan people.”
“With respect for the Holy Father and his spiritual authority, Venezuela reaffirms that it is a country that builds, works, and defends its sovereignty with peace and dignity,” Gil said on his Telegram account, inviting the pontiff “to get to know this reality more closely.”
China’s surging demand for durians is shaping South East Asia’s farming towns
Driving around Raub, a small town in Malaysia, it’s impossible to miss the prickly fruit that powers its economy.
You can smell it from the steady stream of trucks winding through mountain roads, leaving a faint fragrance on their trails.
You can see it too: the green spikes of a giant sculpture, murals painted fondly on low walls and road signs that proclaim: “Welcome to the home of Musang King durians.”
A gold mining town in the 19th Century, Raub has seen its economy take on a new hue of yellow in recent years. Today it’s better known as the land of the Musang King — a buttery, bittersweet variety that the Chinese have dubbed the “Hermès of durians”, as prized as the French fashion house.
Raub is one of many South East Asian towns that sit at the heart of a global durian rush, pumped by China’s growing demand. In 2024, China imported a record $7bn (£5.2bn) worth of durians — a three-fold increase from 2020. This is where more than 90% of the world’s durian exports are now headed.
“Even if only 2% of Chinese people want to buy durians, that’s more than enough business,” says Chee Seng Wong, factory manager of Fresco Green, a durian exporter in Raub.
Wong recalls how farmers cut down durian trees to make room for oil palms, the country’s main cash crop, during an economic downturn in the 1990s.
“Now it’s the other way round. They’re chopping oil palms to grow durians again.”
BBC/Koh Ewe
Durians are the pride of Raub
A very hungry China
With an aroma that has been likened to cabbage, sulphur and sewers — depending on who the nose belongs to — the durian packs a pungence so divisive that it’s banned on some public transport and hotels. It has been maligned for gas leaks, and was the reason a plane was grounded after passengers remonstrated against the smell wafting from the cargo hold.
Fans from the region have christened it the “King of fruits”, but on the internet it has earned a less flattering tag — the world’s smelliest fruit — as tourists unused to its odour seek it out with squeamish curiosity.
Yet it has found a growing fanbase in China: as an exotic gift exchanged among the affluent; a status symbol to be unboxed on social media; and the star of culinary heresies from durian chicken hotpot to durian pizza.
Thailand and Vietnam are the top durian suppliers to China, accounting for nearly all of its imports. Malaysia’s share of the market is sprouting fast, having earned a reputation with premium varieties such as the Musang King.
The average price of durian starts at less than $2 (£1.4) in South East Asia, where they are grown in abundance. But luxe versions like the Musang King could cost anywhere from $14 (£10) to $100 (£74) a pop, depending on their quality and the season’s harvest.
“Once I ate Malaysian durian, my first thought was, ‘Wow, this is delicious. I have to find a way to bring it to China’,” says Xu Xin, who has been sampling durians at a shop in Raub. The 33-year-old sells the fruit back home in northeastern China, and is on the hunt for the best durians to import.
BBC/Koh Ewe
Visitors to Raub are delighted with its durians
With her are two durian exporters from southern China, one of whom says business has been booming. The other expects it to continue: “There are so many people who haven’t eaten it yet. The market potential is huge.”
It’s easy to see why they’re so confident. Seated nearby is a large Chinese tour group — one of many that have been flocking to rural Malaysia for a bite of the fruit.
Eagerly they dig into platters of durian, carefully arranged from the mildest to the richest. If eaten in the right order, locals say, fresh notes should emerge with each glob on the flight: caramel, custard and finally, an almost alcoholic bitterness heralding the Musang King.
Such pedantry is perhaps why Malaysian durians have earned a special place on the Chinese table.
“Maybe in the beginning we only liked durians that were sweet. But now we look for things like fragrance, richness and nuanced flavours,” Xu says. “Nowadays there are more customers who walk into the shop and ask, ‘Are there any bitter ones in this batch?'”
BBC/Koh Ewe
Durians arranged from mildest (top left) to richest, ending with the Musang King (bottom right)
Raub’s durian dynasties
Just hours before the durians ended up on Xu’s plate, they were painstakingly harvested at a nearby farm owned by Lu Yuee Thing.
Uncle Thing, as he’s known in town, owns the durian shop, along with several farms. He is one of many success stories in Raub, where durians have made millionaires out of farmers. In family businesses like his, sons often help with transporting durians while daughters handle accounting and the finances.
“Durian has contributed a lot to the economy here,” Uncle Thing says.
Driving to his farm one morning, there is quiet pride in his voice as he points out the Japanese pickup trucks that have replaced the rickety jeeps he used to rely on for transporting crates of his fruit.
BBC/Koh Ewe
Uncle Thing is one of Raub’s big durian success stories
Still, farming is hard work. At 72, Uncle Thing wakes up at dawn every day and weaves around his hilly farm to collect ripened durians, either dangling from trees or nestling on nets close to the ground. A couple of years ago, a falling durian landed on his shoulder, leaving him with a throbbing pain that acts up now and then.
“It looks like farmers make easy money. But it’s not easy,” he says.
Once harvested, the durians are brought to Uncle Thing’s shop, where they are sorted into baskets ranging from Grade A, for the large and round ones, to Grade C, the small and odd-shaped.
Sitting in the middle of the sorting floor is a lone basket reserved for Grade AA durians, the handsomest of the lot.
Those will soon be flown to China.
BBC/Koh Ewe
The daily haul at Uncle Thing’s farm
A durian coup?
China’s insatiable appetite for durians has shaped up to be a nifty diplomatic tool.
Beijing has signed a flurry of durian trade agreements, touting them as a celebration of bilateral ties — not just with major producers like Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, but also budding suppliers like Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Laos.
“In this durian competition, everyone’s a winner,” declared a state media article in 2024.
The deals also dovetail with China’s investments in infrastructure in the region. The China-Laos Railway, launched in 2021, now transports more than 2,000 tonnes of fruit every day, most of them Thai durians.
But this clamour to keep up with China’s appetite comes at a cost.
Food safety concerns about Thai durians erupted last year, after Chinese authorities found in them a carcinogenic chemical dye believed to make the durians more yellow.
In Vietnam, many coffee farmers pivoted to durians, driving up global coffee prices that were already affected by severe weather.
And in Raub, a turf war has broken out. Authorities felled thousands of durian trees they said were planted illegally on state land. Farmers say they have been using the land for decades without any issue, and allege they are now being forced to pay a lease to continue farming there, or face eviction.
Getty Images
Durian trees and oil palms dominate Raub’s landscape
Meanwhile, a coup may be on the way in China’s island province of Hainan, where years of trial and error are bearing fruit. Its durian harvest for 2025 was expected to reach 2,000 tonnes.
Like in so many industries, from renewables to AI, China has long pushed to be self-sufficient in food too.
Even as it reaps the fruits of this durian diplomacy, it is eyeing what state media calls “durian freedom”.
“For one thing, we won’t have to rely on Thai and Vietnamese vendors when buying durians anymore!” proclaimed an article in August.
BBC/Koh Ewe
Can Hainan unseat Raub in the durian supply chain?
That is still a distant dream. Hainan’s first home-grown durians hit the market with much fanfare in 2023, but accounted for less than 1% of China’s durian consumption that year.
But the way Uncle Thing sees it, “Hainan has already succeeded in its experiment…If they have their own supply and start importing less, our market will be affected.”
He shrugs it off for now: “That is not something we can worry about. All that we can do is take good care of our farms and boost yields.”
Ask anyone else in Raub about Hainan’s quest, and your question will be swatted away with a smug comeback: they are still no match for Malaysian durians.
And yet, as China chases “durian freedom”, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Musang King sits on an ever shakier throne.
A new class action lawsuit has been filed against Ticketmaster alleging its website deploys unauthorized surveillance tools that violate California privacy laws.
The latest complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California on Monday (January 5), only listed Ticketmaster as the defendant. The class action was led by Solano County, Calif. resident named JeffreyScruggs.
The complaint, which you can read here, claims that Ticketmaster employs advertising and analytics trackers from Google, Facebook, TikTok and MicrosoftBing, as well as those operated by Pinterest, Snap and Comscore, to illegally “collect, receive, and process” information from users such as IP addresses, page URLs, timestamps, and device or browser characteristics, among others.
The lawsuit alleges that the information transmitted through these technologies “is used for behavioral profiling, advertising measurement and attribution, personalization, audience segmentation, and identity-linked tracking.”
“[Ticketmaster] deploys these technologies without judicial authorization and without obtaining Plaintiff’s or Class Members’ consent, in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act,” according to the complaint.
“[Ticketmaster] deploys these technologies without judicial authorization and without obtaining Plaintiff’s or Class Members’ consent, in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act.”
Jeffrey Scruggs-led Class action lawsuit
The complaint cited stipulations under California Penal Code, which prohibit unauthorized use of “pen registers” and “trap and trace devices” that “collect routing and addressing metadata for commercial purposes” without the user’s consent.
The lawsuit claims Ticketmaster generates revenue through “surreptitious collection” of users’ personal information.
The proposed class action seeks to represent all California residents who accessed Ticketmaster’s website. California law allows for $5,000 in penalties per violation. The lawsuit said the total matter in controversy exceeds $5 million and there are over 100 members of the proposed class.
The latest lawsuit marks the latest Ticketmaster and LiveNation. Last week (December 30, 2025), defunct ticketing company Fanimal, based in Santa Monica, California, sued the two companies over their alleged anticompetitive tactics that drove it out of business.
Most recently on Tuesday (January 6), Ticketmaster and Live Nation have asked a federal judge to throw out the US Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit over ticket resales. The FTC sued the pair in September, arguing that they violated the BOTS Act by knowingly allowing ticket scalpers to buy up large blocks of tickets during on-sales.
Separately, the US Department of Justice sued the companies in 2024, seeking to break them apart after merging in 2010. A federal judge denied Live Nation’s motion to dismiss two major parts of that lawsuit in March 2025. The company then filed a motion asking for a quick end to that case in November.
Last month, a class action by consumers received certification, and another group of plaintiffs that includes Taylor Swift fans survived a dismissal motion in November related to the Eras Tour presale.
Who: Barcelona vs Real Madrid What: Spanish Super Cup final Where: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia When: Sunday, January 11, at 8pm (19:00 GMT) How to follow: We will have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 15:00 GMT, in advance of our text commentary stream.
One of sport’s greatest matchups will grace the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Sunday as Barcelona face fierce rivals Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.
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Barca, the defending champions who beat Real in last year’s final, are the team to stop once more in Spain’s top flight, La Liga.
Real, on the other hand, are under increasing pressure, especially their new manager, Xabi Alonso.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a final that carries so much more weight when it holds the tag: El Clasico.
Why are Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso under pressure?
Alonso has steadied Real Madrid’s ship in recent weeks after a tumultuous period, but the Spanish Super Cup final seems a make-or-break moment for the beleaguered coach.
On the brink of the sack after a dire run of form, Alonso responded by leading Madrid to five consecutive victories, the fifth coming on Thursday against Atletico Madrid in the semifinals.
Beating Super Cup holders Barcelona would bring Alonso the first trophy at the helm.
A second victory in two matches against Barcelona would buy Alonso time and breathing room.
But succumbing to Hansi Flick’s side would give Real president Florentino Perez a further excuse to remove a coach he hired in June but has never appeared convinced by.
Spanish media reported that Perez was set to sack Alonso if the team lost against Manchester City in the Champions League on December 10, which they did, but the team’s improved performance bought the coach another chance.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe during training in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Super Cup final [Vincent West/Reuters]
What happened in last year’s Super Cup final between Real and Barca?
Barcelona trounced Real Madrid 5-2 in last year’s final, which was also in Jeddah.
It was a damaging blow for then-manager Carlo Ancelotti, while proving a springboard for Hansi Flick – fresh in his role as Barca boss.
How important is Spanish Super Cup to Real Madrid and Barcelona?
Lifting the Super Cup worked for Flick’s fledgling tenure at Barcelona last season, galvanising his team to claim La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
In the three seasons prior to that, the Super Cup winners also went on to win the Spanish top flight.
“Two things are clear – as it’s the tournament we’re playing for 1768082949, it’s the most important,” said Alonso.
“If you ask me about it in terms of order of priority in the season, it’s the fourth.”
What’s the latest on Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe?
Real are boosted by the return of Mbappe to the squad after he missed the 2-1 win over Atletico and Sunday’s 5-1 thrashing of Real Betis in La Liga while recovering from a knee sprain.
The coach said Mbappe has as much chance of starting against Barcelona as anyone else and is confident the forward has recovered, even though he was expected to miss another week.
With 29 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions, Mbappe is Real Madrid’s top goal scorer this season and their clear, stand-out performer.
The striker has netted six goals against Barcelona in five games since joining Real Madrid.
His return could make life trickier for Alonso because the team does not seem to function at its best when Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham line up together.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal during training ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final [Vincent West/Reuters]
How are Real Madrid’s Brazil forwards, Vinicius and Rodrygo, faring?
One player who has become essential for Alonso in recent weeks is Brazilian winger Rodrygo.
After a miserable run of 32 games without scoring, the right-winger has burst into life with three goals and three assists in his last five matches.
On the opposite flank, Vinicius is struggling for form.
Since finishing second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, he has dipped far from his top level.
Vinicius has not scored in his last 16 outings for Real Madrid, and Alonso must decide whether to line up with him against Barca.
What happened the last time Barcelona played Real Madrid?
The Catalans beat Madrid four times in four encounters last season, but Alonso’s side beat their rivals 2-1 in October in La Liga.
“We have to win; we lost two finals against them last year,” urged Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“They have to win, too. After losing the Clasico in La Liga, they’ll want revenge.”
Barcelona ready for Mbappe return for Real Madrid
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Mbappe is the man of the moment, but backed his team to succeed despite his arrival in Saudi Arabia.
“At the moment, Mbappe is the best striker… he’s scored many, many goals, and he’s a world-class player, that’s what I can say,” admitted Flick, whose side hammered Real Betis 5-0 in their semifinal on Wednesday.
However, the German coach was eager to point out that last season, his side beat Mbappe’s Madrid on all four occasions they met.
Barca thrashed them 5-2 in last season’s Spanish Super Cup final, as well as winning both La Liga Clasicos and the Copa del Rey final.
In their one meeting with Alonso’s side this season, Madrid secured a 2-1 league win.
“How many Clasicos have we played in the last year and a half? And how many did we win? We lost one,” said Flick.
“I know he’s a fantastic player, and for him, with space behind the [defence], he’s really great…
“We will adapt something, like we always do, but it’s not especially about Mbappe, it’s about Real Madrid, it’s about how we want to play and how we expect they want to.”
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal celebrates with the trophy and his teammates after winning the Spanish Super Cup last season [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]
What’s the Spanish Super Cup?
The Super Cup pits together the winners and runners-up of both the Spanish domestic league, La Liga, and Spain’s domestic cup competition, Copa del Rey.
Although first played in 1982, between the league and cup winners alone, it was expanded to four teams in 2020.
Barcelona are the current league champions, with Real Madrid finishing second. They were also the finalists of the Copa del Rey, resulting in Athletic Madrid and Athletic Bilbao lining up in the semifinals, following their third and fourth-place finishes in the league last season.
Where will the Spanish Super Cup final be played?
The Super Cup is being staged in Saudi Arabia for the second year running, with all three matches staged at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
The venue plays host to the Saudi Arabian national team, and will be part of the 2034 World Cup.
Riyadh played host to the final the year before, with Real Madrid emerging victorious with a 4-1 defeat of Barcelona.
Head-to-head
This will be the 262nd meeting between the teams, with Real Madrid winning 106, and Barcelona winning 104, of the encounters.
Barcelona team news
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi and Andreas Christensen are all absent, with the latter two troubled by knee problems and the former out with an unspecified complaint.
Yamal is expected to return to the starting eleven, having not been fit enough to start the semifinal against Atletico. The winger did, however, come off the bench to find the net.
Ronald Araujo has returned to full training, but is only expected to be named among the subs.
Real Madrid team news
Whether Mbappe makes the team sheet, even as a starter or as a sub, is the headline news, following a week of speculation about the forward’s knee injury.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Brahim Diaz remain absent, but there is a chance that Rodrygo, Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio could pass fitness tests after knocks sustained in the semifinal against Atletico.
Dean Huijsen returned to the bench for the Atletico match and could return to the starting eleven in place of Rudiger, should his fellow defender fail to make the grade.
Barcelona’s predicted starting lineup
J Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin, F Torres
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