2023-08-15 21:24:33
The ogre citizen faces the Andalusian outsider in Greece this Wednesday (9 p.m.) in the European Supercup, ten days after failing to win the Community Shield.
The championship barely resumed, Manchester City and Sevilla FC set sail for Athens, where the winners of the last Champions League and Europa League compete on Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) for the European Super Cup, a trophy that Pep Guardiola knows well. He raised it twice as a player with FC Barcelona, in 1992 and 1997, then as coach of the Catalan club, in 2009 and 2011. But never with City, who became European champions for the first time in June in Istanbul.
The powerful English club arrives in Piraeus, the port of the Greek capital, to challenge Sevillians who are admittedly more modest in rank, but experts in good moves on the European scene. Despite a very difficult season, punctuated by a disappointing twelfth place in La Liga, the Sevillians were once again able to sublimate themselves to win a seventh Europa League, a competition record.
City without De Bruyne, package
Veteran captain Jesus Navas (37), formerly of Manchester City, notably offered himself the scalp of Manchester United and Juventus Turin on the road to the final, before stealing the cup from AS Roma from José Mourinho . The Andalusian club dream of playing another bad trick on a powerful European, with the help of their Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, the experienced Ivan Rakitic, the flammable but sometimes inconstant Lucas Ocampos and Erik Lamela, and his threat offensive N.1, Youssef En-Nesyri.
Opposite, the armada of the Citizens appears much better equipped to compete head-on in the championship and in European competitions, even without its midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who has withdrawn after being injured again on Friday against Burnley (3-0 victory) in opening of the Premier League. The Belgian leader should be operated and will be absent “several months», from Guardiola’s avenue.
Mateo Kovacic is one of the new midfield assets for Manchester City. JASON CAIRNDUFF/REUTERS
Without Ruben Dias or Bernardo Silva, also unavailable, the cast of European champions is still scary around Rodri, the scorer in the final against Inter Milan (1-0) in June, Croatian rookies Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic , the stirring Julian Alvarez and the attacking golgoth Erling Haaland.
100% Spanish duel on the benches
On the sidelines, there will also be a 100% Spanish duel to follow between Pep Guardiola, Citizens coach since 2016, and José Luis Mendilibar who transformed Jorge Sampaoli’s dying Sevilla FC last spring.
«When you see a Mendilibar team play, you can recognize their influenceunderlined Guardiola. They project quickly forward, they pass quickly to the sides, they make a lot of crosses, easily enter the opponent’s box, they are aggressive and immediately on the ball.»
The Catalan technician is therefore wary of the Andalusians, who certainly got off to a bad start on Friday in La Liga (2-1 defeat against Valencia), but who will be keen to fill their rich trophy cabinet again by foiling the forecasts, once again. City are aiming for a first trophy to forget the missed Community Shield meeting: Arsenal triumphed over their rival at Wembley on August 6 (1-1, 4-1 on penalties).
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