UEFA Champions League holders Los Blancos prepare to face Die Adler on Wednesday as the Bundesliga side look to pull off an upset against Ancelotti's heavyweights.

Preview

The UEFA Super Cup is finally here! Europe's two top champions will face off at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, with UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid taking on Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in what should be an interesting clash in the capital of Finland.

For Los Blancos, this will be their first competitive game since their unforgettable win over Liverpool in Paris. After pulling off remarkable comebacks against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City in the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals respectively; Carlo Ancelotti's men set up a date with Salah and Co. in the UEFA Champions League final.

In a repeat of the 2018 edition, the Spanish giants faced a Klopp side seeking revenge. However, form was on the Merengues' side and it was none other than Benzema and Co. who emerged triumphant. A Man of the Match display from Thibaut Courtois meant that the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Luis Diaz failed to score, with Vincius Jr. netting the only goal of the day.

While that final was sadly marred by the controversial treatment of fans by the French authorities, overall, it was a memorable 90 minutes of football culminating in Real Madrid's 14 European Cup. Sadly for them, Florentino Perez was not able to add the jewel to the crown – the signing of Kylian Mbappe – as the Frenchman opted to remain with PSG, but the European champions have strengthened over the summer nonetheless, adding Antonio Rudiger to their backline while landing highly-rated midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Meanwhile, Benzema, who is seen as the favorite for this year's Ballon d'Or after his UEFA Champions League heroics, picked up where he left off during the pre-season, scoring in their friendly games against Club America and Juventus. Real Madrid did suffer an El Clasico defeat to Barcelona in Las Vegas, but with La Liga returning this weekend, Ancelotti will want his side back and firing, and there's no better way to do that than winning the UEFA Super Cup.

It will be interesting to see whether Eintracht Frankfurt will pose questions to the colossal continental powerhouse. The Germans are a fellow UEFA Champions League side, but qualification for Europe's premier competition did not come through the Bundesliga.

Die Adler finished the recent German top-flight season in 11th, coming a whopping 16 points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig. Oliver Glasner's side put all their eggs in the Europa League basket, and fortunately for them, it paid off!

Kamada and Co. overcame some tough opposition en route to their title celebrations, beating West Ham, the favorites in the eyes of many pundits, in the semifinals before triumphing over Rangers on penalties in the final. However, the biggest upset pulled off by the Germans was in the quarterfinals as Eintracht Frankfurt beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou to dump Xavi's high-flying Blaugrana out of the competition.

The Catalan giants found themselves in this tournament after failing to make it out of the Champions League group stage. After a win over Napoli in the knockout playoffs, they locked horns with Frankfurt. The eventual champions drew 1-1 at home and thus headed to Catalonia needing a victory, which they managed to pull off, going 3-0 up after over an hour and maintaining this score line until stoppage time before winning 3-2. If Frankfurt managed to beat the almighty Barcelona, what is to stop them from repeating this against Real Madrid?

Team news

Real Madrid: Los Blancos have little to no concerns, meaning the toughest decision for Ancelotti is whether to hand Rudiger and Tchouameni their competitive debuts. David Alaba and Eder Militao was the preferred center-back partnership last season so it will be interesting to see if the German breaks that up. Up front, Benzema and Vinicius should continue to lead the line as Karim aims to maintain his brilliant goalscoring form in 2022.

Eintracht Frankfurt: The Bundesliga side, however, aren't as lucky in terms of injuries as Jerome Onguene is sidelined due to a thigh problem. Aurelio Buta, meanwhile, is yet to return from his knee surgery. Borre, Kamada, and Knauff are all but destined to start in this crucial showdown.

Key stats

  • Real Madrid have met Eintracht Frankfurt only once before and that was in the 1960 European Cup final, beating the German side 7-3.

  • Los Blancos have won the UEFA Super Cup four times, with their most recent success coming in 2017.

  • However, the Spanish giants' last outing in this competition ended in defeat, losing 4-2 to then Europa League holders Atletico Madrid.

  • The Eagles have clashed with Spanish clubs 10 times before, winning six while their only defeat was that European Cup final loss to Real Madrid.

  • Kamada and Co. will look to inflict a 25th defeat for Los Blancos against German clubs, with the Spanish side having won 34 out of 72 encounters (D14).

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Eintracht Frankfurt

August 10, 2022 3:00pmEstadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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