Real Madrid and Sevilla set for Super Cup
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Article summary
Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC are each aiming to win the UEFA Super Cup for the second time as the Liga rivals meet on the European stage at the Cardiff City Stadium.
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• Real Madrid CF (2002) and Sevilla FC (2006) each have one UEFA Super Cup victory
• Madrid qualify as UEFA Champions League winners with tenth European title in Lisbon
• Sevilla beat SL Benfica on penalties for third UEFA Europa League success
• Fourth UEFA Super Cup between teams from same country after 1990, 1993 and 2006
• Match a homecoming for Madrid's Cardiff-born forward Gareth Bale
There will be a Spanish flavour to the 2014 UEFA Super Cup as Real Madrid CF take on Sevilla FC in Cardiff. Each club is looking to capture the trophy for the second time – and the game will have extra significance for Gareth Bale.
• Bale was born in Cardiff in July 1989 but never represented local side Cardiff City FC. He started his career with Southampton FC before moving to Tottenham Hotspur FC and, in August 2013, Madrid. He has, however, scored four goals in ten appearances for Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium.
• Madrid are in the UEFA Super Cup for a fourth time, having qualified as UEFA Champions League winners. The Merengues overcame city rivals Club Atlético de Madrid 4-1 after extra time in the final at Lisbon's Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, goals from Sergio Ramos (90+3), Bale (110), Marcelo (118) and a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty (120) overturning Diego Godín's 36th-minute header to seal their tenth European Cup success.
• Sevilla needed penalties to defeat SL Benfica in the UEFA Europa League final in Turin, prevailing 4-2 in the shoot-out. Beto saved from Óscar Cardozo and Rodrigo while Sevilla converted all four of their kicks to take the trophy for the third time in nine years following UEFA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007.
UEFA Super Cup pedigree
• This is Madrid's fourth UEFA Super Cup, the previous three having been played at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. Their record is W1 L2:
1998: Chelsea FC 1-0 Real Madrid CF
2000: Galatasaray AŞ 2-1 Real Madrid CF (aet)
2002: Real Madrid CF 3-1 Feyenoord
• Sevilla have featured in two previous UEFA Super Cups, both also in Monaco, winning one and losing one:
2006: Sevilla FC 3-0 FC Barcelona
2007: AC Milan 3-1 Sevilla FC
• Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of the Milan team that beat Sevilla in 2007, a match overshadowed by the death of Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta three days earlier.
• This is the fourth UEFA Super Cup between clubs from the same country. In addition to Sevilla's 2006 defeat of Barcelona, Milan bettered UC Sampdoria in 1990 – Ancelotti playing all 180 minutes of what was then a two-legged final – but lost to Parma FC three years later.
Head to head
• The sides have met 172 times in all competitions, with Madrid recording 90 wins to Sevilla's 53. There have been 29 draws.
• They have played one European tie before, in the 1957/58 European Champions Clubs' Cup quarter-final. Madrid ran away with the home first leg 8-0 – still a competition record for a last-eight encounter, with Alfredo Di Stéfano scoring four – before a 2-2 draw in Seville.
• They have faced off in one past cup final, in the 1962 Copa del Rey; Madrid came out on top 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Match background
• Both teams have already picked up UEFA trophies against fellow Spanish sides. Besides Madrid's victory over Atlético on 24 May, they also prevailed in the first UEFA Champions League final between clubs representing the same nation, downing Valencia CF 3-0 at the Stade de France in 2000.
• Sevilla, meanwhile, followed up their 2006 UEFA Super Cup triumph against Barcelona by ousting RCD Espanyol in the following year's UEFA Cup final. After a 2-2 draw at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Sevilla edged it 3-1 on penalties.
• Overall Madrid have won eight of their 15 games against Spanish teams in Europe, drawing four and losing three. They have scored 34 goals, with 16 conceded.
• Sevilla have won just three of their ten European matches with Liga opponents, losing four with three draws. Like Madrid they beat local rivals in Europe last term, getting past Real Betis Balompié on penalties in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 after either side had won the away leg 2-0.
Team ties
• Unai Emery has tackled Madrid on 13 occasions as coach of UD Almería, Valencia CF and Sevilla, winning only three times and suffering nine defeats.
• Ramos began his career at Sevilla, making his senior debut in a 1-0 Liga reverse at RC Deportivo La Coruña in 2004. Ramos scored twice in 39 top-flight outings for his home-town club before signing for Madrid in 2005.
• After receiving the gold medal of the city of Seville in May, Ramos was honoured with an on-field tribute at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán during Spain's 2-0 international friendly success against Bolivia later the same month.
• Diego López joined Madrid from Sevilla in January 2013 after first-choice goalkeeper Iker Casillas broke a thumb. A Madrid youth-team product, López played 11 times in all competitions for Sevilla following a 2012 move from Villarreal CF.
• Ronaldo has scored three or more goals on four occasions against Sevilla over the past five seasons, managing 16 strikes overall. His record against the Andalusian outfit is P11 W9 L2.
• Ronaldo, Pepe, Fábio Coentrão and Beto were all in Portugal's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
• José Antonio Reyes won the 2005/06 Liga with Madrid while on loan from Arsenal FC.
Match facts
Real Madrid
Summer transfers
• In: Keylor Navas (Levante UD), Toni Kroos (FC Bayern München), James Rodríguez (AS Monaco FC)
• Out: Álvaro Morata (Juventus), Casemiro (FC Porto, loan)
2014 FIFA World Cup
• Keylor Navas helped Costa Rica into the quarter-finals for the first time. The 27-year-old saved two penalties in the round of 16 shoot-out victory against Greece and conceded only two goals in 510 minutes overall.
• Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso (who is suspended for this match) were part of the Spain squad that failed to progress beyond the group stage. Marcelo (Brazil), Pepe, Fábio Coentrão, Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Karim Benzema, Raphaël Varane (France) and Luka Modrić (Croatia) also played in Brazil.
• Kroos scored two goals – both against Brazil in the last four – and started Germany's extra-time victory over Argentina in the final. Sami Khedira suffered an injury in the warm-up and played no part in the 1-0 triumph. Ángel Di María, Argentina's match winner against Switzerland in the second round, was an unused substitute for the decider.
• James was the finals' top scorer with six goals as Colombia got to the last eight.
Sevilla
Summer transfers
• In: Mariano Barbosa (UD Las Palmas), Aleix Vidal (UD Almería), Alejandro Arribas (CA Osasuna), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Stade de Reims), Denis Suárez (FC Barcelona, loan), Iago Aspas (Liverpool FC, loan)
• Out: Ivan Rakitić (FC Barcelona)
2014 FIFA World Cup
• Beto started two of Portugal's three games. Carlos Bacca made one appearance for Colombia, as a substitute against Brazil in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat.