Real Madrid eased past Mallorca and Barcelona comfortably beat Athletic Club to set up a Clásico showdown in the Spanish Supercopa final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, stream LIVE on ESPN+, U.S. only).

It's the third season in a row Madrid and Barça have met at this stage, with the previous winners going on to secure the LaLiga title -- Barça in 2023 and Madrid last year. Xavi Hernández, Barça's coach at the time two years ago, even spoke about the confidence which came from beating Madrid in the Supercopa.

Both teams have experienced up-and-down seasons, but they go into Sunday's game in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in relatively good shape with all their stars available in attack. For Madrid, there are signs that Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham are coming good. For Barça, Lamine Yamal is back from injury to partner with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. Dani Olmo is also available again after the registration fiasco which saw him miss the semifinal. -- Sam Marsden

Clásico all-time head-to-head

All competitions
Madrid 105, Barcelona 101, Draws 52

Finals
Madrid 5, Barcelona 4

-- ESPN Research

What happened in the last Clásico?

October's 4-0 humbling of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu was the peak of Barcelona's early-season form. It was a triumph for Hansi Flick's high-risk high line and a shock to Madrid's system, sparking a mini-crisis for Los Blancos. But it was also a game won -- despite the scoreline -- on razor-thin margins. If Madrid, and especially Kylian Mbappé, had been a bit more clinical and exploited Barça's defence with more precision, the result might have been very different.

Madrid had multiple chances to score, denied by either poor finishing or the offside flag, before Robert Lewandowski hit the target in the 54th minute. Two minutes later, Lewandowski grabbed a second goal, and it was effectively game over. By the time Lamine Yamal and Raphinha had chipped in late on, the scoreline suggested a rout, but that wasn't reflective of the balance of play over 90 minutes.

All that suggests that there's no guarantee of a repeat. And we've seen in recent years that big Clásico wins aren't necessarily predictive of the next meeting, or the season as a whole. As precedents go, Madrid would prefer to look to the last Supercopa, in January 2024, when Vinícius Júnior's hat trick inspired a comprehensive 4-1 Madrid victory. -- Alex Kirkland

How Real Madrid's and Barcelona's seasons have gone so far

Real Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti's side already have two trophies in the bag for 2024-25: the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. They're looking to add a third in Jeddah, and that's with a team that is yet to truly find its rhythm.

Madrid started the season slowly -- draws at Mallorca and Las Palmas in August showed a concerning lack of cohesion -- and there have been some high-profile defeats along the way, notably to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool in the Champions League, and that home thrashing from Barça. There's been criticism of Mbappé, and injuries, especially to Dani Carvajal, have weakened the team.

But overall, the trend is one of gradual improvement. Jude Bellingham has been the star -- his all-round game is now arguably even better than last season's heroics -- with Vinícius Júnior not far behind. Mbappé's rate of goal scoring has improved, even if he hasn't hit top form yet. The weak link is the defence, and especially the full-backs, with Lucas Vázquez struggling to replace Carvajal's defensive output. -- Kirkland

Barcelona: Barcelona's season can be broken down into two parts: before November and after November. Before November, they won 12 of 14 games, scoring four or more goals in seven of those matches, including in wins against Madrid and Bayern Munich. Since November, they have won seven out of 13 games and lost five, including shock home defeats against Las Palmas and Leganés.

Various reasons have been offered for their dip. Raphinha suggested there was some fatigue, Lewandowski has talked about the team's mentality in the "smaller" games and there was a period when they were without Yamal. Opposition players and coaches have also spoken about how they successfully targeted Barça's high defensive line, which yielded such devastating results for them earlier in the season.

Beating Madrid, after back-to-back wins at the start of 2025 against Barbastro and Athletic Club, will fuel the sensation they have turned the corner from what Flick dubbed a "s--- November." -- Marsden

Key clashes

Mbappé vs. the Barcelona defence: Mbappé was caught offside a career-high eight times -- six of them in the first half -- when the two teams met in October. And when he wasn't offside, his finishing was wayward. But that slump came in the midst of a dry spell of seven games with just one goal.

Since then, Mbappé has been scoring more regularly, finding the net in four consecutive games in December. He also netted in both of Madrid's finals so far in 2024-25, against Pachuca and Atalanta. A big performance against Barça on Sunday would be the highlight of his season so far, and the defining "I'm him" moment everybody has been waiting for. -- Kirkland

Yamal vs. Mendy. Yamal showed no sign of ill effects from an ankle injury as he returned by scoring the second goal in the semifinal win against Athletic on Wednesday. Ferland Mendy knows all about the threat the 17-year-old poses, having been dizzied by him at the Bernabéu in October. The battle between the two could decide this game.

Yamal's numbers might not be as impressive as Raphinha's and Lewandowski's -- although he's still scored seven goals and provided 12 assists this season -- but Barça are always better when he's on the pitch. He has started 20 games this season, and Barça have won 17 of them. He demands attention on the right and, if he doesn't score or assist, it creates more space for others. -- Marsden

Clásico predictions

Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona. There will be goals. At both ends. Even against Mallorca in the semifinal, Madrid looked vulnerable at times, and Barcelona's defence isn't as strong as it was. It'll come down to which team is more clinical. Bellingham should star, again, and Vini Jr. will have a point to prove, after looking unhappy at being substituted towards the end of the Mallorca game. It'll be fun. -- Kirkland

Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona. It's hard to disagree with Alex that there will be goals. The first one will be especially key. If Barça get it, it will force Madrid to be more open than they ordinarily might be. If Madrid get it, Barça have a habit of chasing games earlier than they need to. Therefore, I think this will mirror the last two finals between the teams, with whoever scores first eventually winning comfortably. I'm just not sure who. -- Marsden

Betting odds

Real Madrid -125, Barcelona -105 (at time of publication)

-- ESPN BET

HOUSTON -- After one of the worst games of his career in Saturday's 32-12 playoff loss to the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert took accountability for his struggles.

"I let the team down," he said. "... You can't turn the ball over like that and expect to win. ... I just have to be better."

It was an uncharacteristically lousy game from Herbert. He finished 14-of-32 passing (43.8%), the worst completion percentage in a playoff game by a Charger since Philip Rivers in 2006, and tied for third worst in franchise history (minimum 20 attempts). Herbert threw a league-low three interceptions during the regular season but had four against the Texans, making him the first player in NFL history to throw more picks in a playoff game than in the regular season (minimum 200 attempts).

Herbert's mistakes began in the second quarter. With 11:39 left and the Chargers leading 6-0 and in the red zone, he rolled to the right side of the field on play-action and threw the ball across his body to receiver Quentin Johnston on the left. But the pass was underthrown and intercepted by cornerback Kamari Lassiter.

Late in the third quarter, Herbert threw a ball too high for wide receiver Ladd McConkey that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by safety Eric Murray. It was Herbert's first pick-six since 2022.

His third interception came because of a drop by tight end Will Dissly, but his last later in the fourth quarter came on another underthrown ball to wide receiver DJ Chark, who had a step on cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

"I thought the guys outside did a great job fighting and getting open, and it's on me as a quarterback to be able to deliver the ball," Herbert said.

Coach Jim Harbaugh was quick to defend Herbert postgame, saying his QB played "like he always does -- a complete beast." Harbaugh added that the offensive line didn't protect Herbert well enough and that the Texans' edge pressure was the best his team had seen this season. Herbert was sacked four times and pressured on 50% of his dropbacks, according to TruMedia.

"He's got to be able to finish a throwing motion," Harbaugh said. "Quarterback's got to be able to do that, and we didn't put him in the position to do that enough."

Teammates also rushed to defend Herbert's performance after the loss.

"He's a damn good football player," center Bradley Bozeman said. "One of the best quarterbacks in the league. I was proud for him to be our quarterback this year. I wouldn't want anybody else."

Added safety Alohi Gilman: "He's gonna get slack for it because people are going to say X, Y and Z, but we know he's a great quarterback. I wouldn't change a thing. ... That's my guy. That's our quarterback."

And said guard Zion Johnson: "We know the type of guy he is. We know the type of quarterback, the type of leader he is."

Herbert is now 0-2 in the playoffs. In his first playoff appearance, two seasons ago against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chargers were on the wrong side of one of the most embarrassing losses in NFL history, blowing a 27-0 first-half lead in a 31-30 defeat.

Now, Herbert is on the wrong side of another humiliating loss.

"We'll just have to keep watching film and assess the play," he said when asked what it will take to have more postseason success. "Obviously, it was not good enough by any standards today, and I put the team into a jeopardy-type position with all the turnovers, so on me to get better and keep pushing forward."

DURHAM, N.C. -- Cooper Flagg cut across the court to catch an early kickout feed and knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing. Moments later, he was alone in the left corner and confidently had a catch-and-score for another 3.

No hesitation.

And no stopping until the 18-year-old accomplished something that no freshman had ever done in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

The 6-foot-9 Flagg scored 42 points to set a conference freshman single-game scoring record Saturday, helping fourth-ranked Duke beat Notre Dame 86-78. It was a performance that put the preseason Associated Press All-American alongside some prominent names in the history of the blue-blood program and its longtime league home.

"I was just out there playing," Flagg said as he sat at his locker afterward surrounded by reporters. "When I'm in the game, I don't really know what's going on. I'm just playing locked in."

Flagg had long been mentioned as a potential No. 1 NBA draft pick before leaving his home state of Maine and heading to Durham. His every move on the court had been dissected all season, from late-game turnovers in losses to No. 6 Kentucky and No. 11 Kansas to his strong play in a March-worthy matchup that handed No. 2 Auburn its only loss.

This week offered the perfect example. His coast-to-coast dunk in transition against Pittsburgh on Tuesday was a jaw-dropper and highlight-reel signature on an impressive win. This time, he was electric from start to finish, finishing with the highest scoring output by a Duke player at its famed Cameron Indoor Stadium home since 1976, and most by any Blue Devil since Danny Ferry's program-record 58 points at Miami in December 1988.

Before Saturday, Flagg's season high was 26 points.

"He's being himself," teammate Sion James said. "And that's the magic of Cooper Flagg, being himself. He's not forcing anything. He's just being a player, taking the looks as they come. He saw something he liked, and 42 points later, here we are."

Flagg made 11 of 14 shots in about 36 minutes, including 4 of 6 3-pointers to continue his recent improved long-range touch. He saw work as the primary ball handler and attacked the paint, taking advantage of mismatches to draw 13 fouls and get to the line 17 times (he made 16, a Duke freshman record) while Notre Dame had just 16 attempts as a team.

"It's a huge part of the game if you're able to get in the paint and get fouled," Flagg said, "so I was kind of able to get that going early and was kind of able to live in the paint tonight."

Flagg also had six rebounds and seven assists, including a high-low pass to 7-2 teammate Khaman Maluach for an alley-oop dunk on Duke's opening possession.

"They've got the right mix of guys with him," Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "If they had him and they didn't have shooting or they had people that needed the ball and were ball-dominant, then it probably wouldn't work. But they've done a good job evaluating and finding the right people to put around him, so it makes him a really tough matchup."

Flagg called it one of his more aggressive offensive performances from the start, partly due to getting those early clean looks to find a quick flow. As he pressed on, the fouls and contact kept coming -- enough so that Duke coach Jon Scheyer had his own rare eruption, this one of demonstrative fury.

It came after Flagg was called for a first-half offensive foul for pushing off on a drive against Notre Dame's Matt Allocco. As Allocco hit the floor, Scheyer practically ran from the sideline to the edge of the midcourt circle yelling "No way!" and shouting that Allocco had grabbed Flagg before waving emphatically in disgust as associate head coach Chris Carrawell tried to guide him back to the bench.

It marked only the second technical foul of Scheyer's three-year head coaching career, though he was focused on making a larger point.

"People are going to do things to try to make it easier to guard him," Scheyer said of Flagg. "And grabbing and holding is going to be something that's there. So it wasn't just one play isolated for me. It's just understanding that he does get hit.

"Again ... I have a ton of respect for those three officials, the officiating in our league. But I'm also going to advocate for our guys when I feel like something isn't being called the right way or respected."

By Saturday's horn, Flagg had surpassed the previous ACC freshman record of 41 points from Boston College's Olivier Hanlan against Georgia Tech in the 2013 ACC tournament. Only two other freshmen in league history, both from North Carolina, have reached the 40-point mark: Tyler Hansbrough (40) in February 2006 and Harrison Barnes (40) in the 2011 ACC tournament.

Flagg hit the 40-point mark on two free throws with 25.7 seconds left as Duke clung to an 80-76 lead after squandering most of an 18-point cushion. He broke the ACC record with two more free throws with 4.9 seconds left, after the "Cameron Crazies" had chanted his name as he walked to the line.

So how does a teenage basketball prodigy celebrate history? His plans didn't sound nearly so memorable.

"Probably just going to hang out with my teammates, have a chill night," Flagg said. "There's a lot of good basketball games on tonight."

HOUSTON -- Coach DeMeco Ryans said his defense "dominated" against the Los Angeles Chargers as the unit carried the Houston Texans to a 32-12 wild-card win.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert finished the regular season with only three interceptions, but the Texans intercepted him a career-high four times, returning one for a touchdown.

"Our defense, they dominated today," Ryans said. "That's who we want to be. They played our brand of football. They stopped the run first. That's what I'm most proud of is how we stop the run. And when we stop the run, you make a team one-dimensional, and that's when our defensive line just causes havoc."

The Texans became the fifth team to record four interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown and four sacks in a playoff game since sacks were first tracked in 1963, according to ESPN Research.

The last three teams to accomplish that feat in the playoffs were the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2000 Baltimore Ravens and 1989 San Francisco 49ers, who all went on to win the Super Bowl.

"Just playing together, playing complementary football," defensive end Will Anderson said. "Rush and cover, tying in together. We were just being tight with our rush. They were sticky in coverage, and we were just able to make some plays, get some turnovers and take the ball away."

Herbert was the first player in NFL history with at least 200 pass attempts to have more interceptions in a playoff game than in the regular season. The Texans pressured Herbert on 50% of his dropbacks as he went 3-for-14 for 112 yards with one touchdown and an interception under duress, according to Next Gen Stats.

The pressure from defensive end Derek Barnett with 21 seconds left in the third quarter led to the biggest play of the afternoon. It forced Herbert's throw to wideout Ladd McConkey to sail, and safety Eric Murray intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown to put Houston up 20-6.

"Just trying to be patient," Murray told ESPN. "Take away the deep throw and make him throw short. That's what you want to do. Make him throw short. You either hit him or the ball goes through his hands and ends up yours."

To close the game out in the fourth quarter, All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley intercepted Herbert on a short and deep pass.

The defense allowed a field goal on the Chargers' first two drives then stiffened up to buy the Texans' offense time as it struggled for the first five possessions -- producing three punts, an interception and a lost fumble. Their sixth possession, which started on the 1-yard line, ended in the end zone and was sparked by an improbable play.

After gaining one first down, the Texans faced a 3-and-16 with 2:24 remaining in the first half trailing 6-0. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud fumbled the snap before rolling right and firing a dart to wideout Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard completion. The Texans' drive ended with a Stroud 13-yard touchdown pass to wideout Nico Collins to put the Texans up 7-6.

"The play that he made on the fumbled snap and throw to Hutchinson, that's the play that just sparked our entire team," Ryans said. "Seeing the way all of our guys responded after he made the play....Just outstanding performance by C.J."

Stroud said he was "mad" at himself for even dropping the snap but saw the jolt it provided his team, and he got hyped afterwards.

"I'm trying to see the defense, and it went through my hands," Stroud said. "Luckily it bounced right back up to me. I tried to save the play. [Hutchinson] did a good job. After we made the completion, I looked at the sidelines, everybody was turned up. So that turned me up because I was still kind of mad at myself. But yeah, those are the types of plays that change momentum."

The Texans went on a 32-6 run following the highlight play. Stroud finished the day 22-of-33 for 282 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But he had a staggering difference in production after the improbable completion as he was 9-of-16 for 83 yards with an interception prior to that play but went 13-for-17 for 199 yards with a touchdown afterward.

The quarterback-coach pairing of Stroud and Ryans became the third duo to win a playoff game in their first two seasons, joining Rex Ryan-Mark Sanchez and John Harbaugh-Joe Flacco.

BALTIMORE -- Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdowns in a flawless first half, Derrick Henry scored twice while leading Baltimore's devastating running game, and the Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the AFC playoffs.

The Ravens move on to face either Buffalo or Houston after jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead and holding on against their AFC North rivals. Baltimore had a 19-2 advantage in first downs in the first half, when the Ravens produced touchdown drives of 95, 85 and 90 yards,

Henry ran for 186 yards, and Baltimore outrushed the Steelers 299-29. It was the most yards rushing allowed by Pittsburgh in a playoff game, breaking the mark of 232 set by the Oakland Raiders 51 years ago.

Jackson, the two-time MVP still seeking a postseason breakthrough, made it clear from the start he was going to make Pittsburgh (10-8) defend his arm and his legs. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to advance the ball methodically against a Steelers team that has relied heavily this season on forcing turnovers.

Pittsburgh's season ends with five straight losses, two of which came in Baltimore. The ending was a familiar story for the Steelers, who have lost six consecutive playoff games. The last three times they've been in the postseason, they've fallen on the road in games that have exemplified the gap between Pittsburgh and the conference's true contenders.

The Ravens had 10 touchdown drives of at least 90 yards in the regular season, the most by a team since at least 2000. The Ravens started at their own 5 on their first possession and drove 13 plays for a touchdown.

The Steelers have made a habit recently of winning tight games against the Ravens, capitalizing on Baltimore's mistakes. The Ravens avoided that problem Saturday, taking few major risks.

They got creative on the first drive, lining up Henry for a direct snap from center while Jackson came across and faked a sweep. Henry kept the ball for a 34-yard gain. Jackson capped the possession with a 15-yard scoring strike to Rashod Bateman, who was Baltimore's top healthy receiver with Zay Flowers (knee) unavailable.

Jackson went 16-of-21 for 175 yards and rushed for 81.

Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 left in the half. After a Pittsburgh punt, the Steelers called timeout on third-and-2 from the Baltimore 18, hoping to get the ball back, but the Ravens converted and then quickly moved into position to score.

On second down from the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly used up the remaining time while scrambling around, but he eventually dumped the ball to an open Justice Hill, who went into the end zone with two seconds left.

The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown on their first second-half possession, with Russell Wilson throwing a 30-yard scoring pass to Van Jefferson. Baltimore quickly answered when Henry broke free up the middle for a 44-yard TD -- Pittsburgh defenders were caught out of position because Jackson faked a run to the left after handing off the ball.

Wilson answered with a 36-yard touchdown strike to George Pickens in the third, but that was it for the scoring. Wilson went 20-of-29 for 270 yards on a night when neither team turned the ball over.