Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois says it's important they do not suffer a slow start against Valencia.

Real meet Valencia in the Supercopa de Espana semifinal in Saudi Arabia today.

Courtois said, "We have to make a good start, it'll be a tough game against a top side, the most important thing is to get the win and we'll see what we can do in the final. It's another chance for Madrid to add another trophy to their collection. We want to get back to winning ways after the defeat the other day.

"I'm feeling very good. There was more to the problems than just sciatica, but we've found a solution and I'm feeling very good. Apart from the first goal in the World Cup against Morocco, I had a good tournament, keeping two clean sheets. I felt good, also in the game against Valladolid I was able to prove it. Conceding two goals the other day was a shame.

"We're in good shape physically, the players who didn't go to the World Cup did fitness work, just like a second pre-season, and those of us who have come back have also been working hard. The players who played up to the end may be a little more tired, but everyone is prepared to play their part. We play every three days, that's how it is when you're at a big club. We didn't put in our best performance the other day, but we've talked about it with the coach and sometimes the performance isn't how we wanted it to be."

On playing in Saudi Arabi, Courtois added: "It's a pleasure to come to Saudi Arabia. We've been made to feel welcome, we know we've got a lot of fans here because we've seen it the previous two times we've played here. It's like playing at home for us.

"Real Madrid is a worldwide club and it's nice to be able to be here and be around fans who can't always come to Madrid. It'll be a difficult match, they've got a good team, a coach who gets behind them a lot from the sidelines and puts his players under a lot of pressure. It'll be an intense match played at a high tempo. It'll be tough but we hope the fans will spur us on to get the win."