Taking part in their second curtain-raiser of the summer, Manchester City endeavour to avoid a repeat of the Community Shield when they square off with Sevilla in Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup clash in Piraeus.
Pep Guardiola's side will contest their second continental crown after belatedly achieving Champions League stardom last season, while not even Jose Mourinho could end Los Palanganas' perennial Europa League dominance in 2022-23.
Match preview
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Domestic crowns have been bread and butter for Man City since seasoned Champions League winner Guardiola touched down in the North West, but making waves in Europe was not the Citizens' forte before the 2022-23 campaign, where the addition of a Scandinavian sensation finally helped end the Citizens' continental hoodoo.
Twelve-goal Erling Haaland continued to smash Champions League records for fun under Guardiola, although it was a more unlikely source who came up with the telling contribution in Istanbul, as Rodri found a way to penetrate the hitherto watertight Inter Milan backline to spark pandemonium in the blue half of Manchester.
The Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup holders have already failed to add another piece of silverware to their ever-growing cabinet this summer, though, falling to Arsenal's 12-yard superiority in a Community Shield penalty shootout, but they have started as they mean to go on in the Premier League.
To the delight of fantasy managers everywhere, Haaland gave Burnley a harsh welcome back to life in the Premier League with a first-half brace in Friday's meeting at Turf Moor, before another powerful Rodri drive completed a straightforward 3-0 win over Vincent Kompany's Clarets.
A maiden UEFA Super Cup appearance comes just three days before Man City face fellow Champions League participants Newcastle United in gameweek two of the Premier League season, and while Sevilla flattered to deceive domestically last season, their European know-how is not up for debate.
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Adjusting to life under Julen Lopetegui was challenging for Sevilla to say the least, and the Jorge Sampaoli experiment also went pear-shaped rather quickly, as Los Palanganas found themselves as low as 19th in the La Liga table during the middle of January.
However, the appointment of Jose Luis Mendilibar steadied the Sevilla ship to great effect, as the 62-year-old kept his team's heads above water in the Spanish top flight with a 12th-placed finish, while masterminding a record-extending seventh Europa League success in Budapest.
The serial Europa League winners taking on a Roma team led by renowned cup final specialist Mourinho was the true definition of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, but Sevilla's penalty-spot prowess won out before the disgraceful post-game treatment of referee Anthony Taylor made all the headlines.
Having already won a stellar six Europa League crowns before their Hungarian success, Sevilla have also taken part in six UEFA Super Cup clashes and came up trumps against Barcelona on their first appearance in 2006, but they have since lost five continental curtain-raisers on the bounce.
Mendilibar's side also went down 2-1 to an ailing Valencia side in their 2023-24 La Liga opener on Friday evening, and their record against Man City reads a miserable four losses from four matches, although their pair of defeats to the Citizens in last year's Champions League group stage - in which they finished third - ironically helped them on their way to second-tier glory.
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Team News
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The luckless Kevin De Bruyne cannot catch a break this summer, as after coming off with a severe hamstring injury in the Champions League final, the Belgian playmaker lasted just 23 minutes against Burnley before a recurrence of his previous problem flared up.
Guardiola conceded that his creator-in-chief would be sidelined for "a while" as the medical team get to the bottom of his issue, and De Bruyne is joined in the infirmary by Ruben Dias (head) and Bernardo Silva (illness), but John Stones is back from a hip problem.
De Bruyne's absence ought to provide a route into the first XI for Mateo Kovacic, whose Croatia teammate Josko Gvardiol could also make his full debut as Guardiola inevitably tinkers with his setup.
While Sevilla did not lose any more players to injury on Friday evening, Mendilibar's side saw out the final 10 minutes against Valencia with 10 men following Loic Bade's sending off, but the French defender will be fine to line up in Piraeus.
That is more than can be said for two of Bade's fellow centre-backs, as Tanguy Nianzou is expected to miss out with a hamstring injury sustained earlier this month, while Marcao is yet to return to full training as he manages a quadriceps injury.
First-choice goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in recent days as a replacement for ACL victim Thibaut Courtois, but with Los Blancos set to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea instead, the Moroccan will seemingly be staying with Los Palanganas and will act as the last line of defence on Wednesday.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Gvardiol, Ake; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Navas, Gudelj, Bade, Acuna; Jordan, Fernando, Rakitic; Suso, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
We say: Manchester City 2-0 Sevilla
Many a team may have made the mistake of underestimating Sevilla in Europe down the years, but with low morale and a depleted backline, the Europa League holders' continental nous should not count for much in Piraeus.
Even with the prospect of a few changes amid their Premier League commitments, Man City should have developed a taste for European success, and Guardiola's side ought to clinch their second UEFA crown in the space of two months with a clean sheet in tow.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
