20:36
By the way, the statistics speak for Manchester City in many ways tonight. Not only have the Champions League winners won the UEFA Super Cup nine of the last ten times, Sky Blues also have an impeccable record against Sevilla. The previous four meetings in competitive games have all gone to the English top club, who also held their own in the 2022/23 season in the Champions League preliminary round with an aggregate score of 7-1 in aggregate against the Andalusians.
20:30
In particular, summer newcomer Loïc Badé celebrated a bad start in Andalusia last Friday. The 23-year-old Frenchman was thrown off after an emergency brake when the score was 1-1 and had a corresponding share in the late defeat outnumbered. Coach José Luis Mendilíbar still has his confidence in him and only makes two changes to his starting XI this evening: Óliver Torres and Joan Jordán start for Suso (bench) and Fernando (ill).
20:24
Sevilla FC was able to salvage a completely messed-up 2022/23 season, which ended in the dreary no-man’s-land of the LaLiga after a big sell-out and interim worries about relegation, with their seventh overall victory in the Europa League. However, the fact that the new season could also be complicated flashed through on the first day of the LaLiga. The Rojiblancos lost their first home game against Valencia 2-1.
20:18
Pep Guardiola, whose team face a difficult opponent in Champions League participants Newcastle on Saturday, is opting for a rotation this evening. There have been four changes compared to the 3-0 win at Burnley: the two newcomers Joško Gvardiol and Mateo Kovačić as well as Cole Palmer and Jack Grealish are new in the starting XI. Julián Álvarez, Rico Lewis (both bench), Kevin De Bruyne (muscle tear) and Bernardo Silva (not in the squad) remain outside.
20:12
This summer, the Sky Blues not only secured the national championship for the ninth time in the club’s history and also won the FA Cup, but Manchester City was finally able to bring the long-awaited handle pot to the English north-west. Although the Guardiola team lost out on penalties against Arsenal at the start of the season in the Community Shield, they were able to start the Premier League in a dominant manner. Also thanks to a brace from superstar Erling Haaland, there was a 3-0 away win at Burnley FC on matchday one.
20:07
While it is Manchester City’s first-ever appearance in the UEFA Super Cup, record-breaking Europa League winners Sevilla FC are taking part in the competition for the seventh time. So far, however, with moderate success. The Andalusians may have beaten then Champions League winners Barcelona 3-0 in a remarkable manner in 2006, but have suffered defeat in their last five appearances in the Super Cup.
20:00
Good evening and welcome from Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece. Champions League winners Manchester City meet Europa League winners Sevilla FC here tonight at 21:00 CET.