The 50th edition of the UEFA Super Cup features two teams in very different places. Paris Saint-Germain, the UCL holders, also won Ligue 1 last season, and made a run to the final in the Club World Cup this summer. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, finished just above the drop zone in the Premier League last season, and are now starting over (yet again) with a new manager.
It’s easy to just assume that PSG will cruise in this preseason trophy match in mid-week.
UEFA Super Cup FYIs
Tottenham Hotspur vs Paris Saint-Germain
Format: current UCL holders vs current UEL holders
Kickoff: Wednesday 13 August (21:00 CET), Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy
Preview Content for Both Sides: Team News Predicted Starting XIs
Look no further than yesterday’s Community Shield, however, as an example of why you can’t make that assumption. Crystal Palace, despite being huge underdogs, outlasted mightier Liverpool FC in a penalty shootout.
And this match marks a changing of the guard here for PSG. They just spent €40 million ($47 million) plus an additional €15 million ($17m) in potential add-ons, to make Lucas Chevalier their new No. 1 GK.
That means Gigi Donnarumma, who was a huge part of helping Les Parisiens finally break through in Europe last season, should really find a new club this summer.
Starting Lineup Predictions
Tottenham Hotspur
Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence; Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Pape Matar Sarr; Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, Muhammad Kudus
Paris Saint-Germain
Lucas Chevalier; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Warren Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz; Desire Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also 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.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter