Belfast will host the 46th UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday in which Champions League winners Chelsea take on Europa League winners Villarreal. The Spanish side will make its debut in the game while the Blues will battle for the Super Cup for the fifth time in club history.
Six of the last eight Super Cup games have gone to extra time and bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 3.70 for another draw in 90 minutes. The odds are at 1.68 for a Chelsea win and at 5.50 for Villarreal to go home victorious.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 10th, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
Chelsea won their first-ever appearance in the Super Cup back in 1998 by beating Real Madrid 1-0, but they have followed up the successful debut with three successive losses. The last two in 2013 and in 2019 were particularly painful with the Blues suffering a defeat on penalties.
Thomas Tuchel arrived only in January, but he already has a chance to deliver the club a second trophy. The German has so far lost just five of 30 matches in charge.
Chelsea were very impressive under Tuchel during the latter half of last season and the team should be very confident of continuing in the same vein in 2021-22.
By adding Romelu Lukaku, the six-time English champions will be one of the teams to beat in the Premier League this season and it will be tough to match them in Europe as well.
Villarreal manager Unai Emery has also bolstered his attack by adding Senegalese striker Boulaye Dia into the mix. The 24-year-old scored 14 goals for Reims last season in the French Ligue 1.
Emery’s side was among the most prolific teams in La Liga last term and Dia’s addition should make the Yellow Submarine even more dangerous.
Meeting a tough Chelsea defense is a perfect test for the refreshed Villarreal side. Tuchel’s time in charge includes a run of seven consecutive clean sheets and the team recorded 19 clean sheets overall during his 30-game spell last season.
It’s a great challenge here for Emery as well after his stay in the Premier League was cut short and he left England with a damaged reputation. The Spaniard has a chance to record a hat trick of sorts here as he masterminded victories over Arsenal and Manchester United during Villarreal’s victorious Europa League campaign last season.
