Uefa Super Cup: Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid team news, start time, TV channel

Uefa Super Cup: Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid

• When: Wednesday 15 August
• Where: Lillekula Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia
• Kick-off: 8pm (UK time)
• Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
• TV channel: live on BT Sport

Wednesday’s Uefa Super Cup final will see Madrid rivals Real and Atletico battle it out for the first piece of Uefa silverware in the 2018-19 season.

Last season’s Champions League winners Real Madrid will have a new boss in charge after Zinedine Zidane’s departure. Former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui makes his Real bow. He will go up against Diego Simeone’s Atletico, the Europa League winners.

Lopetegui, who left the Spain job just days before the start of the World Cup, says winning the Super Cup is the main objective for Real, rather than bragging rights over their city rivals.

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He said: “The word pressure is inherent to Real Madrid. This club has the obligation to win everything. There is no more pressure because it’s against Atletico Madrid or against another team. It’s a final and it’s a title, and that’s what drives and motivates us all.

“It’s all set up to be a great match and a great final. This is how we will treat it and we will prepare for it. We’re delighted that our first match is this final.”

Real go into the new season without Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed for Juventus earlier this summer. Welsh forward Gareth Bale, who scored twice in the 3-1 Champions League final win against Liverpool, is expected to become the focal point of Real’s Ronaldo-less attack.

The Spanish newspaper Marca says “this is Bale’s moment” and he’ll hope to play as important a role in Tallinn as he did in the Champions League final in Kiev.

Team news and potential starting XIs

Real Madrid

Real boss Lopetegui takes a 29-man squad to Tallinn. New goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is included as is French World Cup-winning defender Raphael Varane. Marca reports that Alvaro Odriozola, a recent signing from Real Sociedad, will not be playing due to a hamstring injury.

Croatian World Cup golden ball winner Luka Modric, who’s been linked with a move to Italian club Inter Milan, could be on the bench after playing only 15 minutes in pre-season. Keylor Navas may get the nod to start in goal instead of former Chelsea stopper Courtois.

Atletico

Diego Costa is expected to lead the Atletico attack but French star Antoine Griezmann may have to settle for a place on the bench after his late return from the World Cup. Thomas Lemar, another of France’s World Cup-winning squad, returned to training early following his transfer from Monaco and should start. Fellow new signing Nikola Kalinic could partner Costa up front.

Predicted starting XIs

How the teams could line up, according to the London Evening Standard:

• Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos, Bale, Isco, Asensio, Benzema
• Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Juanfran, Godin, Savic, Luis, Koke, Saul, Rodri, Lemar, Costa, Kalinic

Uefa Super Cup guide

What is the Uefa Super Cup?

The Uefa Super Cup is an annual football match organised by Uefa between the reigning Champions League winners and Europa League winners. Real Madrid won last season’s Champions League while Atletico were victorious in the Europa League.

History and records

Wednesday’s clash is the first all-Madrid, and all-city, Super Cup final. After winning three Champions League titles in a row, Real now have the chance to become the first team to win three Super Cups on the bounce. They could also equal AC Milan and Barcelona’s record of five victories. In 2016 Real beat Sevilla 3-2 and last year they beat Manchester United 2-1.

What TV channel is the Super Cup on in the UK?

The Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid clash is on BT Sport 2 and will be shown live. Coverage starts at 7.30pm (UK time) and the match kicks off at 8pm.