UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich and Europa League holders Chelsea meet in the UEFA Super Cup today with the usually relaxed atmosphere surrounding the match spiced up as there are several scores to be settled.
Bayern still feel they should have won the Champions League a year earlier only to be beaten by Chelsea on penalties — even worse for the Germans was it came at their stadium, the Allianz Arena.
Chelsea’s manager at the time, Roberto di Matteo, is no longer there — he was sacked only a few months later and his replacement Rafael Benitez salvaged something from the season by landing the Europa League.
The present incumbent, Jose Mourinho — Benitez’ spell as caretaker manager ended at the end of last season — will be eager to put one over Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, his nemesis from his days in Spain.
Barcelona under Guardiola outshone Mourinho’s Real Madrid and the latter’s largely unhappy reign in the Spanish capital came to an end at the end of last season.
That left the self-anointed “Special One” needing to prove he has not lost his touch at delivering trophies and where better to start than by beating his old rival in the process.
Guardiola for his part took a year out — stepping aside after Real ended Barcelona’s reign as champions in 2011-2012 — and returned refreshed to take over a Bayern side that last season under Jupp Heynckes became the first German club to win the domestic double and the Champions League.
Guardiola, though, can deliver something that Bayern coaches have not managed and win the UEFA Super Cup after the club failed to do so on three previous occasions.
“It’s a unique chance for us players to win this trophy,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. “It’s a final and a match against the Europa League winners, and that’s Chelsea. We still have something to clear with them and take revenge, so hopefully we can win in Prague.”
Mourinho for his part has never lifted the Super Cup, but if he succeeds this time round it will give Chelsea their second Super Cup, with the club having previously won it in 1998.
Mourinho, who has restored John Terry to the starting lineup after he lost his automatic first-choice status under Benitez, has pointed to the pressure Guardiola is under to at least match last season’s historic achievements.
“The team of Jupp Heynckes was the strongest team in Europe last season, for sure, and this season they are the same team, with three new players, all of them good, with a new manager, also good,” Mourinho said. “Normally they have to be better this season than they were in the previous season.”
Guardiola has made many changes since he came in, most notably by imposing a 4-1-4-1 system which meant the defensive midfield partnership of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez, arguably the strongest in Europe last season, was split up.
While Bayern have garnered 10 points from their first four league games, they are yet to put in a truly convincing display under Guardiola’s new system, despite enjoying more than 75 percent possession in some games.
Schweinsteiger, who faces a race to be fit after spraining his right ankle in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, has been used as the single holding midfielder, but the new system means gaps often appear between defense and midfield.
With playmaker Thiago Alcantara, who cost Bayern 25 million euros (US$33 million) from Barcelona last month, out injured, Guardiola is likely to start with Mario Goetze and Toni Kroos in the central midfield roles, flanked by wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
Mourinho has used a 4-2-3-1 formation so far, rotating his strikers each time, with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and rising German star Andre Schuerrle all having started up front.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
RSS