Barcelona tackle Athletic Bilbao in Supercopa Semis
Barcelona will be bidding to book their spot in the final of the Spanish Super Cup when they tackle Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday night.
The Catalan giants are the most successful side in the history of the tournament, lifting the trophy on 15 occasions, while Athletic have won the competition three times.
Barcelona made it eight straight wins in all competitions with a 2-0 success over Espanyol in Spain’s top flight on Saturday, and Hansi Flick‘s side remain top of the La Liga table, four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid.
The Catalan giants have not actually lost a domestic fixture since El Clasico at the end of October, and they are the heavy favourites to overcome Athletic on Wednesday in order to book a spot in Sunday’s final against Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid.
Barcelona, as mentioned, have won the Spanish Super Cup 15 times, and they are the holders of the trophy, having beaten Real Madrid 5-2 in last year’s final, while it was 2-0 to Flick’s team against Athletic in the semi-finals.
Blaugrana could enjoy a hugely successful end to the season, with three domestic trophies in their sights, but they have work to do in order to advance in the Champions League, currently sitting down in 15th spot in the overall table.
Barcelona beat Athletic 4-0 when the pair locked horns in the league earlier this season, while they have only conceded once in their last five games with the Basque outfit.
Athletic can cause Barcelona problems, but the Catalan outfit are in such brilliant form, and their quality in the final third of the field should allow them to secure their spot in the final of the tournament.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Fiorentina face Lazio at Stadio Olimpico
Fresh off a dramatic victory over Cremonese, Fiorentina head to the capital to face Lazio at Stadio Olimpico in Wednesday’s 19th round, aiming to record a fourth consecutive Serie A win in this fixture.
While Maurizio Sarri’s side have historically dominated games involving both teams at the Olimpico, they have fired blanks in their past two league fixtures in front of their fans — the latter of which was Sunday’s heated defeat against Napoli — and lost last season’s corresponding match 2-1 a year ago.
Lazio and Fiorentina are separated by eight places in the Serie A table, but that guarantees little for Sarri’s team, who have won just one of their last six games in the competition.
Although the capital club entered their first fixture of 2026 on a four-match unbeaten run, only one win was recorded in that period; Antonio Conte’s Napoli halted the false positive sequence in a fiercely heated game that witnessed three red cards.
With Sassuolo and Torino a point behind, Udinese two adrift and Cremonese trailing by three, Sarri’s team will be looking over their shoulders, especially as the threat of falling to a fourth consecutive loss to the Viola looms.
That outcome was possibly unforeseen a fortnight ago, given Fiorentina’s miserable season; however, the Tuscans have now claimed two wins in their last three Serie A games, taking them to 18th spot on 12 points — level with Pisa and Hellas Verona in 19th and 20th, respectively — three points shy of safety.
That means the Florence-based club’s prospects of securing another victory against Wednesday’s opponents are reduced, as they strive to claim back-to-back wins at Lazio for the first time since 2007 and record a fourth consecutive triumph against the capital club.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Napoli to continue their success streak against Verona
Following four straight wins without conceding, Napoli will expect to continue their success streak on Wednesday, when the Serie A champions host Hellas Verona.
While the Scudetto holders stayed within two points of top spot by beating Lazio last week, hapless Hellas slipped to the foot of the standings.
Since back-to-back defeats in Serie A and the Champions League left them with ground to recover in both competitions, Napoli have embarked on a superb streak of form, winning four consecutive games – and all by the same 2-0 scoreline.
Soon after picking up this season’s first silverware in the Supercoppa Italiana, Antonio Conte‘s side ended an historic year by beating Cremonese thanks to Rasmus Hojlund‘s brace.
Then, they kicked off 2026 with a feisty clash against Lazio, in which Pasquale Mazzocchi was sent off and their hosts were eventually reduced to nine men.
The only team with an unbeaten home record across Europe’s top five leagues last year, Conte’s men have gone 22 games without losing at Stadio Maradona.
Extending their streak of wins – and clean sheets – Napoli should comfortably take care of business against an ailing Verona side.
Having won 11 from 11 when scoring first in Serie A, the Italian champions are virtually invulnerable if they get their noses in front.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Inter Milan travel away to Parma
After reclaiming the Serie A summit in last week’s final fixture, Inter Milan will try to keep the pressure on their title rivals when they visit Parma on Wednesday.
Inter’s convincing victory over Bologna took them clear at the top of the table, ahead of city rivals AC Milan and reigning champions Napoli.
Claiming revenge for their recent defeat in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-finals, Inter blew Bologna away in Serie A’s Sunday night game at San Siro, also making it five straight league wins since losing the Derby della Madonnina.
Piotr Zielinski broke the deadlock with a fierce strike, before Lautaro Martinez hit double figures for top-flight goals this term; Marcus Thuram‘s improvised finish effectively wrapped up victory before the visitors got one back late on.
Led by long-serving captain Martinez, Inter clearly boast the league’s most potent attack, with 10 goals more than closest challengers Milan.
Having now registered 13 wins and four losses in Serie A – recording no draws from their opening 17 games for the first time to date – the Nerazzurri are usually entertaining.
With just two home wins to show for their efforts so far, Parma are unlikely to topple mighty Inter.
The Nerazzurri generally mop up maximum points against Serie A’s lesser lights, and they should do so again on Wednesday.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Fixtures
