Super Cup preview: Real Madrid v Atlético Madrid
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Article summary
Possible line-ups, coach quotes, expert views and stats – your in-depth guide to the 2018 UEFA Super Cup.
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Article body
- Real Madrid meet Atlético in UEFA Super Cup
- First Super Cup between teams from same city
- Griezmann available for selection for Atlético
- Madrid looking for third successive triumph
- Get a taste of Tallinn, the Estonian capital
Possible line-ups
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Benzema, Asensio.
Out: Vallejo (muscle problem), Odriozola (adductor)
Doubtful: none
Atlético Madrid: Oblak; Juanfran, Godín, Giménez, Filipe Luís; Koke, Saúl, Rodrigo; Lemar, Griezmann, Costa.
Out: none
Doubtful: none
Where to watch
Fans can find their local UEFA Super Cup broadcast partner(s) here.
Julen Lopetegui, Madrid coach
We want to win, of course, and we have to be ready to do so. We've prepared for it and we'll do all we can to win against a great team who will demand a lot of us. Atlético are a great team with great players, and a coach who has been there for years leading them in the right direction. It'll be a tough game both physically and tactically. It's a final and these two teams will bring the best out of each other. We're focused on what we need to do to beat Atleti.
Diego Simeone, Atlético coach
We want to improve on last season. Expectations are high and we know what's demanded of us. [Real Madrid are] going to play a different style; they press you high and want to control the game in your half. Lopetegui had that same philosophy as Spain boss. The most important thing tomorrow is emotion and a desire to win. That's what we'll have. Everyone in the squad who has travelled is fit to play.
UEFA.com reporter's view
Joe Walker, Spanish football expert (@UEFAcomJoeW)
Once again Real Madrid find themselves in the UEFA Super Cup, though in novel circumstances, having lost Zinédine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. It will be intriguing to see if Lopetegui has already got his ideas across and whether Simeone's new signings have settled. Plus, Atleti have a score to settle: their neighbours are the only side to have eliminated them at the knockout stage of a European competition since 2013.
Daniel Thacker, match reporter (@UEFAcomDanT)
Tallinn and the quaint Lilleküla Stadium is almost 4,000km from Madrid (and a world away in terms of climate), and the stately Estonian capital provides a unique backdrop for the first one-city derby in UEFA Super Cup history. If the sides' recent UEFA Champions League finals are any guide, then expect this to finish 1-1 after normal time. However, new faces and this competition's tendency for drama lend an air of the unknown, even for rivals as familiar as these.
Pre-season results
Madrid
31/07: Manchester United 2-1 Real Madrid (Miami, United States)
04/08: Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus (Landover, United States)
07/08: Real Madrid 2-1 Roma (East Rutherford, United States)
11/08: Real Madrid 3-1 AC Milan (Madrid, Spain)
Atlético
26/07: Atlético 1-1, 3-1pens Arsenal (Singapore)
30/07: Paris 3-2 Atlético (Singapore)
05/08: Stuttgart 1-1 Atlético (Stuttgart, Germany)
08/08: Cagliari 0-1 Atlético (Cagliari, Italy)
11/08: Atlético 0-1 Inter (Madrid, Spain)
Did you know?
• Real Madrid can become the first side to win three successive UEFA Super Cups, but Atlético have won both of their past games in the competition. Find out more in our match background.