What to Expect from Europe’s Upcoming Football Super Cups

It feels as though the European football season finished an eternity ago. Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final brought the curtain down on another epic instalment of club football. But in just a few weeks’ time, the curtain will be raised once more, as three separate nations host their Super Cups as well as UEFA, who will stage the continent’s one-off extravaganza in Helsinki between the aforementioned Champions League winners and Eintracht Frankfurt, who defeated Rangers in the Europa League final just days prior to the Spanish clubs’ victory. Oddschecker, which compares odds and offers, as well as provides tips on European football, has made Los Blancos the favourites for that showdown. But what else can be expected of these one-off fixtures across the continent? 

Three separate domestic battles for dominance

The opening stanza from a weekend of drama will be brought to us on July 30th from Germany. Bayern Munich – who have lifted the trophy on five of the six previous occasions – are the winners of the Bundesliga and they will face RB Leipzig, who defeated Freiburg to lift the DFB Pokal. Die Roten Bulen’s victory in Berlin’s Olympiastadion marked the first major trophy in the history of the club, a stark contrast to their Bavarian opponents, who are the most successful club in the history of German football, winners of 81 major trophies throughout their existence. 

The following day, Manchester City vs Liverpool will take centre stage. It’s hard to argue that there have been two teams more consistent than Pep Guardiola’s Blues and Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in the last five years. They will do battle at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, home of the team that won the trophy last season, defeating City at Wembley courtesy of a last-minute penalty from former Blue Kelechi Iheanacho. 

Photo by Nathan Rogers on Unsplash

Later on that evening, Tel Aviv will take centre stage, as the Israeli city hosts the Trophée des Champions, where Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain face Nantes, winners of the Coupe De France. The Parisians will enter that match as huge favourites, but they must be wary, as they were stunned by Lille in the same stadium last season. 

Continental showdown

The final showdown will come almost two weeks later from Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium with UEFA’s instalment of their annual Super Cup. Real Madrid – who rode their luck to secure a 14th Champions League crown – will also be massive favourites to defeat Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt, who finished a lowly 11th in the Bundesliga last season. The Germans have shown they can handle the pressure in one-off games, however, and they will be hoping to stun their more illustrious opponents in the Finnish capital.