Helsinki Olympic Stadium plays host to the 2022 UEFA Super Cup showpiece as Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt battle it out for the trophy.
Madrid eased past Frankfurt in their only previous continental showdown that was one for the ages, claiming an overwhelming 7-3 victory in the 1960 European Cup final at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Fast forward 52 years, Vinicius Junior catapulted Los Merengues past Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final, helping his side win their 14th European Cup trophy overall.
The defending La Liga champions will be out to tie AC Milan and Barcelona’s record of five UEFA Super Cup titles in what will be their eighth foray into the showpiece.
On the other hand, a nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out triumph over Rangers in the 2022 Europa League decider booked Frankfurt the tickets for a first appearance in the UEFA Super Cup.
Die Adler are the fifth-ever Bundesliga side to reach a curtain-raising European fixture and could become the second German club to lift the crown after Bayern Munich.
Match Preview
Real Madrid
Led by Carlo Ancelotti from the dugout and Karim Benzema on the pitch, Madrid won La Liga and Champions League titles last season.
Benzema topped the scoring charts in Europe’s elite club competition in 2021/22 with 15 goals, ten of which arrived in the knock-out stages, as he equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record from 2016/17.
The French striker will lead the line for Los Merengues in Helsinki, with the Spaniards looking to build on their 11-game unbeaten streak against German adversaries in European football (W7, D4).
Eintracht Frankfurt
Despite an impressive Europa League run, Frankfurt experienced an underwhelming domestic season in 2021/22, having had to settle for a dismal 11th-placed Bundesliga finish.
Oliver Glasner’s team endured a false start to the new league campaign, suffering an embarrassing 6-1 home defeat to perennial champions Bayern on the opening weekend.
But there is still a silver lining, with Die Adler going unbeaten in nine of their ten continental meetings with La Liga sides overall (W6, D3), with the only reverse in that spread of fixtures coming to Madrid.
Real Madrid vs Eintracht Frankfurt Potential Line-ups
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba; Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni; Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard.
Eintracht Frankfurt (3-4-2-1): Kevin Trapp; Tuta, Evan N’Dicka, Almamy Toure; Filip Kostic, Djibril Sow, Sebastian Rode, Ansgar Knauff; Daichi Kamada, Mario Gotze; Rafael Santos Borre.
How to Watch?
The curtain rises on another exciting European season. The first encounter between the sides in a half-century, scheduled for Wednesday at 8 pm BST, will be available to watch online via live football streams.
Real Madrid vs Eintracht Frankfurt Prediction
Experience in these high-octane, title-deciding match-ups gives Madrid the upper hand over Frankfurt, but more importantly, Ancelotti’s men have the quality firmly on their side here.
With a piece of history up for grabs, we are sticking with Los Blancos to take home another trophy.
Real Madrid 2-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
