Real Madrid vs. Eintracht Frankfurt - (10/08/2022) - Match Preview, Team News, Prediction - Super Cup - svmondal

 

MATCH INFO

Start date: 11 Aug 2022 00:30

Location: Helsinki Venue: Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt will compete in the most recent UEFA Super Cup at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. The first European honor of the 2022–23 season will decide here.

Last season, Los Blancos defeated Liverpool by a narrow margin to capture their 14th Champions League title, and the Bundesliga team triumphed in the Europa League.

Match Preview

Paris Saint-Germain gave up. Chelsea's dramatic comeback flopped. Rodrygo struck Manchester City with all of his furies. Although Real Madrid frequently seemed out of the Champions League, multiple champion Carlo Ancelotti had other plans.

The terrifying events outside the Stade de France during the final will always cast a shadow over the event. Fans were turned away, tear-gassed by riot police, and targeted by opportunistic criminals. For some, celebrating Vinicius Junior's victory at the time almost seemed inappropriate.

However, Real Madrid and four-time Champions League champion Ancelotti were allowed to enjoy the moment at home after winning both the domestic and European championships. This weekend's match against Almeria will mark the start of Real Madrid's La Liga title defense.

Real Madrid only played in three preseason friendlies last month, losing to Barcelona in one of them, which is not typically the case with El Clasico, drawing 2-2 with Club America and defeating Juventus with a score of 2-0.

As expected, the next two games saw Karim Benzema score as the 34-year-old looks to lead the Los Blancos assault in yet another European final. They won the Super Cup in 2002, 2014, 2016, and 2017 but lost to city rivals Atletico Madrid four years ago.

Eintracht Frankfurt left teams like West Ham United, Real Betis, and even Barcelona in their wake on their journey to the 2022 Europa League final, where an energetic Rangers team stood in their way. Last season, the Deutsche Bank Park was the site of some memorable European nights.

After a tense 120 minutes of play, there was nothing between the two teams. Gers loanee Aaron Ramsey would make headlines in Scotland for all the wrong reasons after having his penalty saved by Kevin Trapp, while Frankfurt continued to be flawless from 12 yards out to win the match.

Frankfurt hadn't seen European glory since the 1979–80 campaign, when they won the UEFA Cup, as it was then known, 42 years ago. Wednesday's match will be their first in the UEFA Super Cup.

Oliver Glasner's team has already begun their quest to surpass their Bundesliga standing of 11th from the previous campaign. Still, they were given a baptism of fire on Friday when they faced defending champions Bayern Munich, who blasted to a 6-1 victory at the Deutsche Bank Park.

Team News

Ancelotti has no injury concerns as Real Madrid enters the Super Cup, but Reinier Jesus has missed training in expectation of another loan transfer away from the club.

Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni must make their competitive debuts here, but it seems like an uphill struggle for them to establish themselves as regular starts this year. So Ancelotti must make this decision.

Rodrygo may be kept off the field until necessary, as was the case last season, with Federico Valverde getting the go-ahead to join Benzema and Vinicius in the final third.

For Frankfurt, defender Jerome Onguene, 24, has already been ruled out of the Super Cup due to a troubling thigh injury, while Aurelio Buta is recuperating from knee surgery.

Glasner still has some crucial decisions to make in light of his team's humbling loss to Bayern, even though the German team has no other players in the medical room, and Hrvoje Smolcic will also make a domestic comeback.

At halftime of that match, Rafael Borre, Sebastian Rode, and Jesper Lindstrom were all substituted off, and Randal Kolo Muani, who had just joined the team from Nantes, gave his team a consolation goal.

Given his performances in the Europa League last season—the Colombian scored three goals in their final four games of the competition, including the equalizer in the championship game against Rangers—Borre may choose from the start in Helsinki.

Despite growing doubt over his future, Filip Kostic played on Friday. However, Juventus is reportedly looking to finalize a deal for the Serbian this week, so Glasner may need to reconsider his alternatives on the left.

Real Madrid's possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Toure, Ndicka, Tuta; Knauff, Sow, Rode, Lenz; Gotze, Kamada; Borre

We say: Real Madrid 3-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Shipping six to Bayern was a harsh reality check for Frankfurt, and one can only imagine how low the optimism would be among the Adler faithful if Kostic completes his exit before the Super Cup.

Ancelotti is paying homage to the age-old formula of do not fix what is not broken. Nevertheless, with a first-choice starting lineup complemented by many talented names on the bench, another continental honor should be placed in the Bernabeu trophy cabinet this week.