Marc-André ter Stegen saved two penalties and Pedri converted the deciding spot kick as Barcelona defeated Real Betis 4-2 in a shootout Thursday to set up a Spanish Super Cup final against rival Real Madrid this weekend in Saudi Arabia. Madrid defeated Valencia on penalties in the other semifinal on Wednesday, when Thibaut Courtois made the decisive save. “Ter Stegen makes the difference,” Barcelona coach Xavi said. “He makes the two saves and sends us to the final.” Read more: Ronaldo set to face PSG, Messi in first game in Saudi Arabia The decisive match will be on Sunday at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh. Barcelona converted all four of its penalties in the shootout and Ter Stegen stopped the efforts by Juanmi and Willian Carvalho to give the Catalan club the victory. “The match was super difficult, Betis made it tough for us,” Ter Stegen said. “In the end it’s about making it to finals, and we've made it. You also need some luck in the shootout, and this time it was on our side.” The teams drew 1-1 in regulation after Robert Lewandowski scored for Barcelona in the first half and Nabil Fekir equalized for Betis near the end. The score was 2-2 after extra time as Ansu Fati gave Barcelona an early lead and Loren Morón equalized again for Betis. In the shootout, Fati, Lewandowski and Franck Kessie also scored for Barcelona. Morón and Willian José converted for Betis. It will be the first time Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Madrid meet in the Super Cup final since the competition was revamped and taken to Saudi Arabia in 2020. “It will be a beautiful match,” Ter Stegen said. “Everyone here wants to see a match like this and I’m thrilled to be able to play in it and to try to win it.” Madrid will try to equal Barcelona with 13 Spanish Super Cup trophies, the most among all clubs. Barcelona will be trying to win its first Super Cup trophy since 2018. Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis was trying to reach its first Super Cup final since 2005, when it lost to Barcelona. “We are disappointed, the team played a great match," Pellegrini said. “We felt like we deserved to win in regulation but it wasn't possible, and then Ter Stegen made some good saves.” Read more: Late goals help PSG beat 3rd-tier Châteauroux in French Cup The Super Cup used to be played only between the Spanish league champion and the Copa del Rey winner, but now the runners-up in both competitions also participate in Final Four tournament that was taken to Saudi Arabia in a lucrative deal for the Spanish soccer federation. Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 at home in the first “clásico” of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in October. Lewandowski scored his first goal since the World Cup after a pass from Ousmane Dembélé in the 40th minute. He scored in Poland’s 3-1 loss to France in December in the round of 16 in Qatar, but hadn’t found the net for Barcelona since a 1-0 win at Valencia in the Spanish league in October. Betis equalized in the 77th when Fekir sent a low shot past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. Lewandowski thought he had scored his second — and a possible winner late in regulation — but the goal was disallowed for offside in the buildup. Fati scored early in extra time with a volley from just inside the area, and Morón evened the match about 10 minutes later with a backheel touch from close range. Betis played the final minutes of extra time with 10 men as Andrés Guardado was sent off with a second yellow card for a hard foul.

Barcelona has reached an agreement with Manchester United for the potential transfer of Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who would still need to approve the move, a person at the Spanish club with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday. United has agreed to pay Barcelona 75 million euros ($75 million) plus another potential 10 million euros in variables for the 25-year-old De Jong, according to a club official who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about the deal. Read: Barcelona reaches deal to sign Raphinha; Dembélé staying De Jong, who is under contact with Barcelona through June 2026, would still need to agree to the transfer to the English Premier League side. So far, he is reportedly reluctant to leave Camp Nou. But the Barcelona official with knowledge of the agreement said coach Xavi Hernández has told De Jong that he will not be a key part of his squad. Barcelona would prefer for a definite deal to be reached immediately before the team leaves on Saturday for a preseason tour in the United States. Barcelona has been working to reduce its payroll as it seeks to reduce its debt. De Jong’s salary, the club official said, was no longer in line with its new financial priorities. De Jong has made 140 appearances, mostly as a regular starter, since Barcelona bought him from Ajax in 2019 for 75 million euros (then $85.5 million).

Lionel Messi demanded that Barcelona settle its inner turmoil and regain the focus needed for a successful title run.

Quique Setien kicked off his reign as the new coach of FC Barcelona with a 1-0 win at home to Granada, thanks to a goal from Leo Messi 15 minutes from time.

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid reach the halfway point of the season in Spain's Liga Santander neck and neck at the top of the table after this weekend's matches.

Barcelona, OCT 7(AP/UNB) — Coach Ernesto Valverde has shaken up the player hierarchy at Barcelona by daring to leave Sergio Busquets on the bench.