Real Madrid stars ‘are stranded in Pamplona for a THIRD NIGHT and will have to fly directly to Malaga for Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao’ due to Storm Filomena
- Real Madrid travelled to Pamplona on Friday for their game against Osasuna
- Storm Filomena has covered Spain in thick snow and caused travel disruption
- The closure of Madrid’s main airport means the team have changed their plans
- Zinedine Zidane’s men will instead fly to Malaga rather than return to the capital
- The Andalusian city is the venue for their Super Cup match with Athletic Bilbao
Real Madrid’s preparation for their Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao in Malaga on Thursday has been less than ideal.
Zinedine Zidane’s stars arrived in Pamplona on Friday ahead of a LaLiga game with Osasuna the following day, with the travelling party reportedly stuck in their plane for five hours after it was unable to take off due to the treacherous conditions of Storm Filomena, which has blanketed large parts of Spain with heavy snow.
There were real doubts over whether the game would take place and the visitors might have been the match had been postponed as a drab 0-0 draw ensued, with Los Blancos now just one point behind arch-rivals Atletico Madrid, albeit having played three games more.
Real Madrid arrived in Pamplona on Friday ahead of an unexpectedly long spell on the road
Osasuna’s El Sadar Stadium was covered in snow and their game against Real was in peril
The game did ultimately go ahead with Zinedine Zidane’s men held to a frustrating 0-0 draw
Much of Spain was blanketed in the white stuff as Atletico Madrid saw their game postponed
Madrid-Barajas Airport, which closed on Friday night due to the conditions, is due to reopen on Monday for arrivals, according to Spain’s Minister of Transport Jose Luis Abalos.
Real therefore have to remain in Pamplona for a third straight night and have decided to fly on Monday morning to Malaga, the venue for their match with Athletic.
A return to Madrid on Monday before flying out to Andalusia was deemed unfeasible by the club due to the hazardous conditions and potential further chaos that could result, according to Marca.
Abalos defended Real’s decision to fly to Pamplona, saying: ‘The airport was operative, but with difficulties…the pilot had the last word and he considered that there were conditions to take off safely.’
If Real get the better of 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 journey to Pamplona.
The reigning LaLiga champions are also the holders in the Spanish Super Cup, beating Atletico in January last year in what was the inaugural year of a four-team format in the competition.
The closure of Madrid-Barajas Airport means the team have to spend a third night in Pamplona
Los Blancos also became the inaugural winners of the four-team Spanish Super Cup last year
Barcelona and Real Sociedad lie in wait for Real in the final if they can beat Athletic Bilbao
Prior to 2020, the Spanish Super Cup had just featured 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 blighted by the weather, with Saturday’s league clash against Atletico Madrid called off and the visiting team’s turned back from the capital’s aforementioned airport before its closure.
