Real Madrid vs Sevilla: UEFA Super Cup Preview & Prediction

Real Madrid come into their UEFA Super Cup clash with Spanish rivals Sevilla in Trondheim on Tuesday night missing a number of their key players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

The former will be missing because of the knee injury he suffered in the final of the 2016 European Championships in France earlier this summer, which Portugal went on to win in the absence of their captain.

Ronaldo’s Portugal teammate Pepe will also not feature for the Champions League winners because of his involvement in the same tournament, while Wales forward Bale and Germany international Toni Kroos were given extended summer breaks after their nations reached the semi-final stage.

Alvaro Morata, who returned to the Bernabeu from Juventus during the close season and has been heavily linked with a move to a number of Premier League clubs, could start in attack.

Meanwhile, Europa League winners Sevilla, who lifted the trophy for the third successive season, are also somewhat decimated from the side that beat Liverpool in the final in May.

Manager Unai Emery and midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak have moved to Paris Saint-Germain, while Kevin Gameiro, Ever Banega and Coke have also moved on to pastures new.

Their new boss is Jorge Sampaoli, who has managed the Chile national team for the previous four years, and he will be looking to the likes of Luciano Vietto, who has joined from La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, to provide the spark for his side.

Both clubs have appeared in the Super Cup final on four occasions, with Real winning it twice, including beating Sevilla 2-0 in Cardiff two years ago, while they were also victors in 2002; however Sevilla did lift the trophy in 2006, although they have been beaten on the other three occasions.

Team News:

Real manager Zidane has included his 18-year-old son Luca, a goalkeeper, in his squad for the fixture in Norway, and as well as a number of absentees because of Euro 2016, striker Karim Benzema is also a doubt because of a back problem.

For Sevilla, left-back Benoit Tremoulinas will be missing with a knee problem, while Michael Krohn-Dehli is a long-term absentee with a serious knee injury suffered in April.

2015/16 La Liga Position: Real Madrid – 2nd (90pts); Sevilla – 7th (52pts)
Previous Meeting: Real Madrid 4-0 Sevilla (La Liga – March 20, 2016)
Form: Real Madrid – DWWWWW; Sevilla – LWLLWL
Key Men: Real Madrid – Alvaro Morata; Sevilla – Luciano Vietto
Shoot Says: Real Madrid 2-1 Sevilla