Over two months since Manchester City claimed the UEFA Champions League in Istanbul, they are presented with another opportunity to further cement their European legacy, Wednesday night, this time in the Greek capital of Athens, against an opposition that has made winning the continent’s second prestigious cup a habit.
Having already missed out on the Community Shield, losing on penalties to Arsenal penultimate weekend, a maiden UEFA Super Cup clash against Europa League champions, Sevilla at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium poses a different kind of threat for Pep Guardiola’s men.
For Sevilla, adjusting to life last term, under Julen Lopetegui was challenging, to say the least, and the Jorge Sampaoli experiment also went pear-shaped rather quickly, the appointment of Jose Luis Mendilibar, however, steadied the ship to great effect, as the 62-year-old kept his team’s heads above water in the Spanish top flight with a 12th-placed finish, while masterminding a record-extending seventh Europa League success in Budapest last June.
Team News
Ruben Dias is unavailable for City due to concussion protocols, while fellow center-back John Stones continues to battle an abductor injury. Kevin De Bruyne will also be sidelined for months after picking up another serious hamstring injury as City decide whether or not to send him for surgery, and Bernardo Silva has not made the trip to Greece due to illness.
Josko Gvardiol could make his full City debut tonight after coming off the bench against Burnley, while Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic are both expected to come into the starting lineup.
Sevilla had Loic Bade sent off in their La Liga opener, a 2-1 home defeat by Valencia, but the Frenchman’s suspension does not apply in Europe and so he will be available to face City.
Tanguy Nianzou and Marcao are set to miss out with injury, but Jesus Navas is expected to feature against his former club.
What the managers are saying
Despite taking a dig at City rivals, Manchester United, brandishing the Red Devils as”weak,” Pep Guardiola is determined to cap Manchester City’s “extraordinary” Champions League triumph by winning a first-ever Uefa Super Cup.
The Spaniard can become the first manager to win the competition with three different clubs and Guardiola is much aware that Sevilla could scuttle that.
“I have to say this is not easy. Maybe for Sevilla, it’s easier because they have won a lot of Europa Leagues. I remember once when they beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Super Cup.
“They have a special character. The resilience in the bad moments, to play the finals. It’s not always necessary to play top level always but they have something in their DNA that makes this team and this club different.
“They are mentally so strong but you cannot imagine how incredibly happy we are to be here, to play this game because you have to win the Champions League.
“This is an opportunity we want to take because who knows when we will be back here to play this tournament,” Guardiola said in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.
For Sevilla’s Jose Luis Mendilibar, he is hoping to draw some inspiration from City’s defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
“We’re looking forward to playing them.
“I think we are ready to beat them, so I’m convinced that we are going to be audacious. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to win, of course – but we are going to be brave.
“We’re going to try to play our football and, in that respect, I think we’re going to try to complicate their lives. From then on, we’ll see what happens.
“I’m sure there are statistics about Arsenal and City and Guardiola that were in favour of City, but they lost against Arsenal not too long ago [in the Community Shield],” he said.
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