Tuesday will feature the 42nd edition of the UEFA Super Cup, which is played between the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League. It will be held at the Philip II Arena in Macedonia, which is hosting the first-ever of any UEFA final in its borders. Macedonian fans will be getting quite a treat as arguably, the two biggest clubs in soccer will go head-to-head in Real Madrid and Manchester United.
What You Need To Know About Real Madrid
Real Madrid won its 12th Champions League last year and have won the UEFA Super Cup three times, including last year in 2016 by a score of 3-2 in extra time over Sevilla. Manager Zinedine Zidane looks to have a full squad ready to go for Real Madrid, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been in the news lately for tax troubles in Spain. Ronaldo would love to play in this game given his history with Manchester United, who sold him to Real Madrid for $104 million in 2009. However, Ronaldo has made no secret of his love for Manchester United, and there have been rumors of a return to England for years now. Gareth Bale, who was also rumored to be a United target this summer, will also be in the squad.
What You Need To Know About Manchester United
United made their way back into the Champions League by winning the Europa League, and they recently bolstered their team with the purchase of Nemanja Matic. Manager Jose Mourinho, who won La Liga with Real in 2012, worked with Matic at Chelsea and he will hope that he can be a shield for the back four. It will also give room in the midfield for Paul Pogba, who showed the ability to dominate games last season, but it was few and far between. With Matic in the midfield, Pogba can do what he does best and that is go forward. You get the feeling that this game is more important for United than it is for Madrid, given how United have performed in the last couple seasons.
Outlook
Real is slated as a +100 favorite for this match, while United comes in at +280 and a draw is at +275. Real has the lead in head-to-head matchups with four wins and four draws, and the last meeting came in the round of 16 in the 2012-13 Champions League. That was won by Real Madrid by a score of 3-2 with the winning goal being scored by Ronaldo in Manchester.
Real has won three Super Cups to one for United, but it has been a quiet offseason for the Spanish giants as they lost Alvaro Morata to Chelsea and didn’t really buy anyone. James went to Bayern Munich, Pepe to Besiktas and Danilo to Manchester City. On the other hand, United brought in Matic and Romelo Lukaku and look to be on the ascent. This will be a very tough game to judge in Macedonia on Tuesday as these soccer giants go up against each other.
UEFA Super cup Pick: Real Madrid
Get the latest soccer betting odds for the UEFA Super Cup right now at Shangri La!
