Only the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League will be able to take part in the UEFA Super Cup. So, privilege of seeing Chelsea in this competition is something that every Chelsea fan should be proud of, and I am. The Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo knows this competition well after having won it with Chelsea back in 1998 when we beat Real Madrid 1-0. This time it is yet another Spanish opponent from Madrid – Atleltico Madrid.
The Stade Louis II in Monaco will be the venue for this match. Our manager Roberto Di Matteo was a fans favourite during his playing days, and that is the same case with the Atleltico Madrid manager Diego Simeone as well. Fernando Torres will be playing against his former club for the first time since his departure in 2007. A huge Atleltico fan, Torres has said that this would be the first time he would want to see Atleltico lose.
“It couldn’t be more special, since I left I’ve always felt the support of the fans, they know I was one of them.
“My only commitment is winning the cup, we are here to win, that’s our only aim, after the game I will be an Atletico supporter like I’ve always been.”
Chelsea come into the match on great form having won three matches in a row. Atleltico have played two matches so far and the 4-0 win over a very poor Bilbao side was their only win. Falcao, who scored 36 goals in all competitions last season, is easily their biggest threat and he scored a hat-trick against Bilbao during the weekend. However, the Europa league finalists are in the worst run of form and one shouldn’t read a lot into that performance.
Falcao, however, is not so great when the ball is outside the penalty area. Chelsea’s main weakness this season has been the inability to stop opposition from crossing the ball. This should be avoided at all costs against Atletico because of the Colombian’s superiority in the air.
Roberto di Matteo said,
“The consequence of that night [against Bayern Munich] is why we’re here and we shouldn’t forget how hard it was to be here. I feel very strongly about it and hopefully we can win the game tomorrow.”
Make no mistake about it; this is one of the toughest tests Chelsea at the start of the season. However, the superb form of Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres could just be the difference between the two clubs.
John Terry is suspended for this match, while Marin has not recovered from his hamstring injury yet.
Possible team line-ups:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, A.Cole, Lampard, Mikel, Hazard, Mata, Bertrand, Torres
Atleltico Madrid (4-2-3-1): Courtois, Miranda, Juanfran, Filipe Luis, Godín, Gabi, Mario Suarez, Turan, Rodríguez, Koke, Falcao
My prediction: Chelsea to win 3-1
Kick-off: 19:45 (BST), Stade Louis II, Monaco
