The first major European tie of the new season will herald in the return to action for both Chelsea and Villarreal on Wednesday night.
Held in Belfast, the UEFA Super Cup clash will pit the Champions League and Europa League winners against each other, with another coveted trophy up for grabs.
Chelsea are competing in the final for a fifth time, having beaten Manchester City in Porto in May to seal their second triumph in the world’s biggest club competition.
Chelsea will look to win the first major European trophy of the season in the UEFA Super Cup
Standing in their way is Villarreal, who will play Chelsea next after winning the Europa League
After tasting defeat against Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool respectively over the last decade or so, Chelsea will be keen to go one step further.
They are almost certainly favourites to get the better of Villarreal, who are making their first Super Cup appearance.
Unai Emery steered his team to a memorable victory over Manchester United after a marathon penalty shootout, and he will want more silverware for his collection.
The Europa League signalled their first ever major trophy, and Emery’s fourth success in the tournament, and the Super Cup is next up in their sights.
It promises to be an enthralling encounter just days out from the beginning of the new top-flight campaign, and here, Sportsmail looks at the key clashes…
Thomas Tuchel (left) and Unai Emery face each other in an intriguing tactical encounter
TIMO WERNER VS PAU TORRES
Last season was far from plain sailing for Timo Werner, and the pressure is now firmly on his shoulders to justify his £53million price tag.
Finding his scoring boots in the Super Cup will go a long way towards aiding his cause, especially in light of Romelu Lukaku’s imminent arrival.
However, this will be no easy task. He will once again be fielded in the No 9 spot, meaning that standing in his way will be Pau Torres.
Timo Werner is under pressure to perform from the off and will hope to net in this week’s final
Torres, formerly a target for Manchester United before they snapped up Raphael Varane, was one of the standout defenders in Europe in the last campaign.
Strong in the tackle, cool on the ball and equipped with a good reading of the game, Torres will be a formidable foe for Werner.
Werner will have to be near his best to get the better of his opponent. There is no doubting his ability, with his struggles seemingly born out of his little confidence.
Pau Torres enjoyed a fine season with Villarreal and comes into this clash after the Olympics
He needs to draw on the lethal, clinical nature from his days with RB Leipzig and become the assured frontman he used to be.
Once he re-finds this, his fleet-footedness and darts in behind will begin to cause Villarreal problems. And if a goal comes from this, another may follow.
It has been a long, long season for Torres, who also played in the Olympics final with Spain, and a Werner brimming with danger may well be his worst nightmare.
JUAN FOYTH VS MATEO KOVACIC
There are slight question marks over Juan Foyth, admittedly, after he picked up a poorly-timed injury on Monday. He will be assessed before the Super Cup.
If he does indeed start, then it looks likely that he will be forced to step in in midfield once again as a result of Villarreal’s injury crisis.
Despite starring at right back towards the end of last season, Foyth is one of the more versatile players in the squad, and he is capable of starring in a holding role.
Juan Foyth may be forced into holding midfield again, where he will face up to Mateo Kovacic
Provided that is where he lines up against Chelsea, then he will be tasked with halting their momentum and playing deft passes through the lines and out wide.
That area of the field, where the anchor for teams usually sits, is one of the most demanding, and Foyth will have to be in top form when cleaning up.
Chelsea have added dynamism to their play since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard, albeit over time. This has seen them improve tenfold centrally.
Kovacic will be tasked with controlling the pace of the game, as well as creating more chances
Mateo Kovacic has been heavily favoured in a double pivot, typically alongside N’Golo Kante, and is renowned for his metronome-esque play style.
It would be of little surprise to see him look to set out his stall early on, whether that be with incisive passing or sprints through the middle.
Foyth will have little choice but to stop those at source and try to dominate in midfield, otherwise the tie will surely slip from Villarreal’s grasp.
N’GOLO KANTE VS MANUEL TRIGUEROS
The battle to gain supremacy in midfield is shaping up to be a very promising one indeed – and N’Golo Kante will be absolutely crucial in this.
Tuchel has heaped praise on his evergreen enforcer in the lead-up to the Super Cup, and described him glowingly as a ‘coach’s dream’.
‘For years, I was fighting to have him (Kante) in my team and now we did it the other way around – I came to his team (Chelsea),’ Tuchel said.
The evergreen N’Golo Kante was recently hailed as a ‘coach’s dream’ by an enamoured Tuchel
‘It’s a coach’s dream to have N’Golo (Kante) on your side, because he makes things easy for everybody on the pitch.’
Despite now being 30, Kante has defied his advancing age to dominate most midfield partnerships in the top-flight and across Europe.
And it is this seemingly limitless energy that may see him prevent Manuel Trigueros from taking control in the middle for Villarreal.
Manuel Trigueros is a regular in midfield for Villarreal and is not afraid of a crunching challenge
Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin are both ruled out for the clash, and with Vicente Iborra and Etienne Capoue not ready to start, the onus is on Trigueros to perform.
A reliable player under Emery, Trigueros is difficult to handle and not afraid to throw himself into a challenge, as seen during a horror crunch on Lionel Messi last season.
Adept at scoring from distance, too, Trigueros will certainly give Chelsea a headache if Kante is not able to get a grasp on him in Belfast.
ALBERTO MORENO VS CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI
Injury-hit Villarreal will be very thankful that Alberto Moreno is capable of playing anywhere down the left-hand side.
Formerly of Liverpool, Moreno can play at full back or further down the flank, and it is in the more advanced position that he seems likely to line up against Chelsea.
Boasting a decent delivery and impressive pace, Moreno will want to find his way in behind Chelsea’s five-man backline and cause problems.
Alberto Moreno, who is capable of playing down the left-hand side, could line up at left wing
Standing in his way at right wing back may be Callum Hudson-Odoi. Shoehorned into the position by Tuchel, he will have to be aware at both ends of the field.
He has even been fielded on the other flank of Chelsea’s backline in pre-season, with chances fairly limited either side of Werner.
As a result of his relative inexperience there, Moreno will hope to use all his years of experience and guile to wave his way beyond him.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is in contention at right wing back and will look for an energetic showing
Of course, then picking out Gerard Moreno in the centre is a different proposition altogether, but Moreno has the ability to help Villarreal to another shock result.
Tuchel does have other options for this clash – namely Reece James or Cesar Azpilicueta, but both players have only recently returned from their holiday break.
As a result, Hudson-Odoi is the favourite to keep his spot from the 2-2 friendly draw with Tottenham, and his focus will be on delivering another energetic showing.
GERARD MORENO VS KURT ZOUMA
The announcement that Gerard Moreno has penned a new six-year contract was bizarre, but underlined Villarreal’s faith in their leading frontman.
Adorned in a costume to be presented to a crowd in the city centre as the ‘masked singer’, Moreno cut a hilarious figure – but he will be deadly serious against Chelsea.
Given Moreno is already 29, the length of the extension is a staggering one, which effectively ties down the rest of his playing days to the club.
Gerard Moreno will want to kickstart his new six-year deal in style by winning the Super Cup
And they will want to kickstart the beginning of a new adventure together in perfect fashion, by beating Chelsea and winning the Super Cup.
Chelsea look likely to field Tuchel’s favoured five-man defence, and Kurt Zouma – despite the club fielding offers for him – is set to start once again.
West Ham hold an interest in Zouma and Chelsea have looked to include him in a swap deal for Jules Kounda, but the defender, for now, looks set to stay put.
Kurt Zouma may find himself shipped out of Chelsea this summer, but he is likely to start the tie
There would be no better way for him to justify why he should remain at the club by shackling the dangerous Moreno.
Moreno cut his holiday short to ensure he is ready for the Super Cup, and will look to trouble Chelsea’s backline on Wednesday.
Blessed with that rare ability to turn half-chances into goals, Moreno is in red-hot form, and Zouma will have to be at his very best to contain him.
