The UEFA Super Cup is a bit of a strange bird, as far as matches go. Like the Community Shield, it’s a preseason clash that some call a curtain raiser. And just like the Community Shield it is also a trophy game.
Chelsea, as Champions League winners, will take on their Europa League counterparts, Sevilla, in Northern Ireland. So let’s preview.
UEFA Super Cup FYIs
Kickoff: Wed, 8pm, Belfast
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
TV: BT Sport 1 (UK), CBS Sports Network (USA)
Official: Sergei Karasev, VAR: Marco Fritz
Chelsea FC Team News
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has no fitness concerns to speak of, so this match will be about getting the guys who have been away on extended holiday eased back into the squad.
Look for Mason Mount, Reece James, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell, Emerson Palmieri and Cesar Azpilicueta to feature, but not play the full 90. Tuchel said at his press conference today that some within that group could even get a starting assignment.
The return of Romelu Lukaku, on a club record breaking deal, is going to happen, but not in time for this match. There are still some roadblock to the transfer being finalized. Christian Pulisic will be debuting some new special shoes in this one.
Go here for more on those custom kicks.
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Sevilla 0
Too much quality in a Premier League title contending side for the Yellow Submarine. The Blues should cruise in this one.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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