La Liga
REAL, ATLÉTICO SET FOR FIRST ONE-CITY UEFA SUPER CUP
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Madrid giants, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid will square up on Wednesday at Tallinn, Estonia for the traditional curtain-raiser for the UEFA club competition season.
It is the clash that brings together UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid and UEFA Europa League winners Atlético.
The competition was devised by Dutch reporter Anton Witkamp to decide definitively the top club side in Europe
It is the first time in 43 editions that both sides have come from the same city.
It is however the fourth time in the last five editions that the UEFA Super Cup will be contested by two Spanish sides, but an all-Madrid final – and indeed a one-city UEFA Super Cup – is a first.
However more often than not, the Super Cup have been won by the European Cup/UEFA Champions League holders have won 23 of the 42 editions.
Atlético have met Real Madrid nine times in UEFA competition with the record of winning twice, drawing twice and losing five times, though they have yet to beat their city rivals in a final or to eliminate them from a UEFA competition.
On the other hand, Real Madrid have won four of their six UEFA Super Cup games – including the most recent two. Having become the first side to win the UEFA Champions League in three consecutive seasons, they could become the first club to win three UEFA Super Cups in a row.
But Atlético have a 100% record in the UEFA Super Cup, winning the 2010 and 2012 editions as UEFA Europa League holders. They overcame Inter Milan 2-0 in 2010 and Chelsea 4-1 in 2012.