Sevilla vs Independiente del Valle UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge preview

Sevilla and Independiente del Valle will meet in the UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge on Wednesday 19 July.

What do you need to know?

The fixture is the pilot edition of the Club Challenge – a match between the UEFA Europa League holders and the winners of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana – and part of the expansion of the cooperation between UEFA and South American football's governing body CONMEBOL.

The Club Challenge is a one-off fixture played over 90 minutes. There is no extra time, so if the tie is level at the end of regulation time, it goes straight to penalties. The match is considered a friendly, both clubs having agreed to unlimited substitutions with three scheduled stoppages in line with UEFA club competition regulations.

Sevilla beat Roma 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 2022/23 Europa League final – the club's seventh success in the competition (two in the UEFA Cup, five in the Europa League). Independiente del Valle, meanwhile, beat Brazil's São Paulo 2-0 in the final of the 2022 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana – Los Negriazules' second title in the competition.

Sevilla are currently preparing for the 2023/24 campaign but Independiente del Valle are in the middle of their season, which runs from February–December 2023. The Ecuadorian side are enjoying a fine 2023, having finished the first stage of their league season in first place while they topped their Copa Libertadores group, booking a round of 16 tie with Colombia's Deportivo Pereira in August as a result.

They also won the Recopa Sudamericana (the equivalent of the UEFA Super Cup), beating Brazilian giants Flamengo on penalties to become the second Ecuadorian club to win the trophy, and the Ecuadorian Super Cup for the first time in February.

Last season

Sevilla (2022/23)
12th in La Liga
Copa del Rey quarter-finals
Champions League group stage
Europa League winners

Independiente del Valle (2022)
Third in Ecuadorian Serie A (aggregate table)
Copa Ecuador winners
Copa Libertadores group stage
Copa Sudamericana winners

Expert predictions

Simon Hart, match reporter
This meeting is Sevilla's first match at the Sánchez-Pizjuán since May. José Luis Mendilibar, who will subsequently take his charges to Germany and the United States for friendlies, has welcomed back this week seven of his international players – Yassine Bounou, Jesús Navas, Marcos Acuña, Nemanja Gudelj, Lucas Ocampos, Oussama Idrissi and Youssef En-Nesyri – and it will be interesting to see whether any of them get any minutes on Wednesday night when the winner will walk away with the Trofeo Antonio Puerta.

What the players say

Rafa Mir, Sevilla forward: "We are looking forward to this new competition. It will be a great match. Besides, we will play at the Sánchez Pizjuán. It would be a very positive way to start the season."

Ivan Rakitić, Sevilla midfielder: "It's a big game; playing against a great team will be challenging and we're aware of that. But we're also playing at home, in our stadium, in front of our fans to welcome them into the new season. It'll be an interesting match and of course we want to win. It's a special incentive."

Lorenzo Faravelli, Independiente midfielder: "You've seen them on TV, obviously. There is Rakitić, who is a great player. It's going to be a nice experience but once the match starts there's no more admiration, there's respect for the rival, but we'll try to win."

Cristian Pellerano, Independiente midfielder: "Playing against big teams is always good, because it requires you to make as few mistakes as possible. Playing this kind of matches is very important for us. We are going to enjoy it and make the most of it."

Where is the 2023 UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge being played?

UEFA via Getty Images

Seville's Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán will host the UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge. The stadium was the venue for the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt.