Prediction: Under 1.5 goals
Odds: 2/1
Bookmaker: Bet365
Local rivals Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid go head to head on Tuesday evening as they contest the UEFA Super Cup at the A. Le Coq Arena in Estonia.
The Champions League and Europa League winners come together looking to get their respective European seasons off to the perfect start with a trophy.
Atlético Madrid
Diego Simeone’s troops ended last season excellently by securing the Europa League crown against Olympique de Marseille. A brace from Antoine Griezmann, as well as a late goal from Gabi, was enough to see the Spaniards waltz away with a 3-0 victory. Since then, Los Rojiblancos have bolstered their squad significantly as they eye another assault on Europe. Thomas Lemar joined from AS Monaco in a big-money deal, as well as Gelson Martins on a free transfer from Sporting Clube de Portugal. Defensive midfielder Rodri also joined from La Liga rivals Villareal. The arrivals of Nikola Kalinic and Santiago Arias completed a busy summer for Atleti.
Despite that, Simeone’s troops had a mixed bag of pre-season results. Participating in the International Champions Cup, they began with a 1-1 penalty shoot-out victory over Unai Emery’s Arsenal. However, they then fell to a 3-2 defeat to Paris Saint Germain before a 1-1 draw with Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart. A slim 1-0 win over Cagliari was positive before they rounded off their participation in the pre-season tournament with a 1-0 defeat to Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Team News
Simeone will be without a few key names following a few noticeable departures. Luciano Vietto has left the club and signed for Premier League outfit Fulham on a season long-loan. Meanwhile, Šime Vrsaljko has left for Inter Milan. Striker Kevin Gameiro has joined La Liga rivals Valencia for approximately 16million euros.
Real Madrid
Talking of departures, Real Madrid had arguably one of the biggest as club record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in a 100million euro deal. Los Blancos have also loaned out some big names with Theo Hernandez and Mateo Kovačić leaving the Santiago Bernabeu temporarily for Real Sociedad and Chelsea respectively. They have strengthened their squad, however. Vinicius Jr. finally had his big-money move from Flamengo confirmed as well as promising goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Alvaro Ordiozola has arrived from Sociedad, whilst Thibaut Courtois has been brought in for a seemingly bargain price of only £35m.
After beating Liverpool 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League final at the end of last season, Julen Lopetegui’s men have continued their great form into pre-season. Despite beginning with a 3-1 loss to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, they hit back with a 3-1 win over Italian giants Juventus. The Italian theme continued as they beat Roma 2-1 before dispatching of AC Milan 3-1. Pre-season continued the theme of last season under Zinedine Zidane though having not kept a clean sheet. Real Madrid have only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 competitive matches.
Team News
New signing Alvaro Ordiozola has been ruled out of the game after suffering a thigh injury. Jesus Vallejo is expected to recover in time. Apart from that, Lopetegui’s squad has a clean bill of health.
Key Facts To Consider
- Real Madrid have won three out of the last four UEFA Super Cups
- Atletico Madrid have only won eight of their last 44 matches against Real Madrid
- Los Blancos have won the last two major cup finals between the two sides
- The last match between the two ended 1-1
- As a manager, Lopetegui has the better win percentage than Simeone. The latter boasts a record of 56.36, with the former having a higher 63.13
Conclusion
It would certainly not be a surprise to see either side take victory in this match. Real Madrid were impressive throughout pre-season but have not yet filled the gap vacated by the irrepressible Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Atleti have kept their squad together. Their impressive defence could prove to be crucial in this game. However, Sergio Ramos does love to score in this particular fixture. It could certainly be one for the defenders, this game.
Prediction: Under 1.5 goals
Odds: 2/1
Bookmaker: Bet365
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