A piece of European silverware is up for grabs as Manchester City and Sevilla go head-to-head in the UEFA Super Cup at Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus, on Wednesday.
Where to watch the UEFA Super Cup on TV?
Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the showpiece event on BT Sport, while CBS and TUDN have the TV rights in the United States.
If you’re residing elsewhere but still want to watch the game, check out the Champions League broadcast partners on UEFA’s official website.
What do you need to know?
Manchester City
Man City owe their maiden UEFA Super Cup appearance to last season’s historic Champions League triumph.
Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team eked out a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Istanbul showpiece to take home a long-awaited title and complete an unprecedented treble.
Fresh off becoming only the second-ever English side to achieve that feat after Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United towards the end of the 20th century, the Cityzens slipped in their 2023/24 curtain-raiser.
City relinquished a second-half lead in a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in their Community Shield showdown a fortnight ago, only to miss out on a first trophy this term after losing on penalties.
The upcoming clash against Sevilla looks like a presentable opportunity for Man City to turn their fortunes around, as they’ve won all four previous matches against the Andalusian powerhouse.
Guardiola’s high-flyers dismantled the Spaniards 4-0 and 3-1, respectively, during last season’s Champions League group stages en route to conquering the competition for the first time.
Sevilla
Sevilla spent the entire 2022/23 La Liga campaign battling and bruising in the lower reaches, eventually finishing 12th in the standings, nine points clear of 18th-placed Valladolid.
Jose Luis Mendilibar’s appointment as the new chief of staff in early April proved a season-defining moment for Los Rojiblancos as the 62-year-old manager helped them weather the storm domestically.
While they cannot forget last season’s La Liga struggle soon enough, the Spanish heavyweights have fond memories of their outstanding European adventure in 2022/23.
Despite all the unpleasantries they suffered in the league, Sevilla maintained their aura of invincibility in the Europa League, overcoming Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the final to win a record-extending seventh title.
Sevilla are no strangers to the Super Cup. They’ve been here six times so far, though it’s worth mentioning they’re on a five-game losing streak in this fixture since embarrassing Barcelona 3-0 on their debut in 2006.
Off-field issues related to the club’s financial turmoil threaten to derail Los Rojiblancos’ chances of halting their disastrous Super Cup run.
Possible Starting Line-ups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake; Rodri, Mateo Kovacic; Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland.
Sevilla (4-2-3-1): Bono; Jesus Navas, Nemanja Gudelj, Loic Bade, Marcos Acuna; Fernando, Ivan Rakitic; Erik Lamela, Suso, Lucas Ocampos; Youssef En-Nesyri.
Form Guide
Manchester City
Inspired by Erling Braut Haaland’s first-half double, Man City bounced back from a Community Shield heartbreak with a comprehensive 3-0 win over newly-promoted Burnley in their Premier League opener last time out.
That was only the Cityzens’ third victory across their last six competitive outings, albeit each success in this sequence came in a title-deciding contest.
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WLWWLD
Where they stood last season: Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup winners
Sevilla
Sevilla’s endeavour to avoid another disappointing domestic season was off to a dismal start as Valencia toppled Mendilibar’s side 2-1 in last weekend’s La Liga opener at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Bringing the tail-end of the 2022/23 campaign into the equation, Los Rojiblancos are winless in their last six games across all competitions, extra-time/penalties excluded (D3, L3).
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LLDLD
Where they stood last season: 12th in La Liga, Europa League winners
View from the camps
Pep Guardiola, Man City manager: “It’s a big relief for us to have this trophy, but there are teams who win it and then disappear. We have to avoid that.”
Jose Luis Mendilibar, Sevilla coach: “I’m happy to be here, to have won for the club, which was having a hard time when we got here.
“We have done something good that can have repercussions for the good of the club.”
