Champions League winners Chelsea take on Europa League winners Villarreal in this year’s UEFA Super Cup. Chelsea won the Super Cup all the way back in 1998 after winning the Cup Winner’s Cup but have lost in three appearances since then. As for Villarreal, it is their first appearance in the final. Both teams begin their league campaigns this weekend and would like to have a win in their pocket before that.
When: Wednesday, 11th August, 8:00 PM (BST)
Where: Windsor Park, Belfast, N. Ireland
How to stream in India: Sony LIV
About UEFA Super Cup
UEFA Super Cup began initially as the European Super Cup back in 1973. The first officially recognized final was played between Ajax and Milan. Until 1997, the competition was a two-legged tie but due to scheduling reasons, it was reduced to a single match. Until 1999, Super Cup was contested between winners of the Champions League and Cup Winner’s Cup. Since 2000, it is contested between winners of Champions League and UEFA Cup, which was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League in 2009. Barcelona and Milan are the most successful teams in the competition, winning it five times each.
Chelsea reached the final by winning the Champions League. They beat Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals before triumphing over Man City 1-0 in the final.
Villarreal are here courtesy of winning the Europa League. After beating former club Arsenal in the semi-finals, Unai Emery oversaw a nervy penalty shootout win over Man United.
Team News
Chelsea do not have any injury/Covid concerns. Quite a few players returned late to training from their summer breaks after EURO 2020, and Thomas Tuchel has said that those players are unlikely to play the full 90 minutes.
Villarreal are without Samuel Chukwueze (hip) and Dani Parejo (calf). Etienne Capoue, Francis Coquelin, Geronimo Rulli and Vicente Iborra are all doubtful after recent Covid concerns.
Opta Stats
- This will be Chelsea’s 50th game against Spanish opponents in European competition (W20 D17 L12), but the first time they have ever faced Villarreal in competitive action.
- Villarreal are unbeaten in their last 15 games in European competition (W12 D3), with the most recent three coming against English opponents in last season’s UEFA Europa League. They won 2-1 on aggregate against Arsenal in the semi-final, before beating Manchester United on penalties in the final following a 1-1 draw.
- Chelsea have only lost two of their last 12 games against Spanish opponents in European competition (W5 D5), while they were unbeaten in their six encounters with Spanish sides in their successful UEFA Champions League run in 2020-21 (W4 D2).
- This is the 18th consecutive UEFA Super Cup game involving either an English or Spanish team, with 2003 being the last time neither were involved (Porto 0-1 AC Milan). Across the previous 17 UEFA Super Cup games in this run, the trophy has been lifted by a Spanish side on 11 occasions, and just twice by those from England.
- Villarreal could become the sixth different Spanish team to win the UEFA Super Cup, which would set a new record for the most different teams from a single nation to have won the trophy (the current record is five, held by both Spain and England).