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Champions League winners Chelsea will take on Europa League champions Villarreal at Windsor Park in Belfast for the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.
Thomas Tuchel transformed Chelsea's side into Champions League winners in one half-season. A defensively formidable Blues unit dispatched Sevilla, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Manchester City on their way to European glory.
They were not tipped to win any of their last three matches in the Champions League. But they overcame the odds and even Pep Guardiola's star-studded side couldn't break down the Chelsea defence in the final. Last summer's heavy investments paid off and Thomas Tuchel was handed a new contract until 2024.
They've had a decent pre-season as well. After beating Bournemouth 2-1, Chelsea saw off Arsenal by a 2-1 scoreline before settling for a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. However, they have not won any of their last three UEFA Super Cup encounters and have suffered defeats against Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
Villarreal beat Manchester United on penalties to win Europe's secondary competition. The Yellow Submarine has however had a disappointing pre-season and are winless in six friendlies.
Their latest outings came against Premier League sides Leicester City and Leeds United. They lost 3-2 to the Foxes and held Bielsa's side to a 2-2 draw. This will be Villarreal's first UEFA Super Cup game and will draw inspiration from the fact that they are undefeated in their last 15 continental matches.
Chelsea vs Villarreal Head-to-Head
This will be the first time that Chelsea and Villarreal face off against each other.
Chelsea form guide: W-W-D
Villarreal form guide: L-D-D-L-L-D
Chelsea vs Villarreal Team News
Chelsea
Chelsea are likely to be without Mason Mount, Thiago Silva, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho. None of the six players have featured in the friendlies so far.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, Trevoh Chalobah, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Davide Zappacosta have been left out of the provisional 26-man squad for the game.
Romelu Lukaku is set to be announced as a Chelsea player but Wednesday's game might come too soon for him.
Injuries: None
Doubtful: Mason Mount, Thiago Silva, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho
Suspensions: None
Villarreal
Villarreal have signed the likes of Boulaye Dia, Juan Foyth and Aissa Mandi. Samuel Chukwueze has returned to training after suffering an injury in the Europa League semi-final against Villarreal. Dani Parejo is nursing a calf injury.
Pau Torres represented Spain at the Olympics and is on a break. A Covid-19 scare in the Villarreal camp might see the likes of Etienne Capoue, Francis Coquelin, Geronimo Rulli and Vicente Iborra missing out.
Injuries: None
Doubtful: Etienne Capoue, Francis Coquelin, Geronimo Rulli, Vicente Iborra, Dani Parejo
Suspensions: None
Chelsea vs Villarreal Predicted Lineups
Chelsea predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger; Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso, Callum Hundson-Odoi; Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech; Timo Werner
Villarreal predicted XI (4-4-2): Sergio Asenjo; Juan Foyth, Aissa Mandi, Raul Albiol, Alberto Moreno; Manuel Morlanes, Manu Trigueros, Yeremi Pino, Alfonso Pedraza; Fernando Nino, Gerard Moreno
Chelsea vs Villarreal Prediction
Chelsea have looked quite decent in pre-season. Villarreal seem like they're a long way away from finding their feet. The Blues could prove to be too strong for Unai Emery's men on Wednesday.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Villarreal
