Chelsea and Liverpool meet in the 44th edition of the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday August 14, pitching two Premier League sides against each other for the first all-English affair in the fixture’s history.
The Europa League and Champions League winners respectively, travel to Vodafone Park in Istanbul, the home ground of Turkish giants Beşiktaş just one game into the start of the new season, perhaps an unwanted distraction in a congested period for a match many view as purely ceremonial.
Chelsea are coming off an opening day thrashing at the hands of Manchester United. The 4-0 mauling was not only their heaviest defeat in the league to the Red Devils since 1965, but their biggest opening day loss in 104 seasons.
They booked their place in the UEFA Super Cup final having emerged victorious over Arsenal in the 2019 Europa League Final.
Liverpool, runners-up in the Premier League to Manchester City last year, claimed their sixth European Cup by triumphing over Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of June in Madrid.
This is the first time the event has been held at Vodafone Park. Between 1998 and 2012 the fixture always took place at AS Monaco’s hold ground Stade Louis II. Notably, for the first time, the fixture will be overseen by a female referee, Stéphanie Frappart, who took charge of the most recent Women's World Cup Final.
This is only the eighth tie between domestic rivals, with teams from Spain (5) and Italy (2) accounting for the previous seven. This will also mark the eighth time there has been an English winner of the UEFA Super Cup. Chelsea last won it in 1998, having failed in two more occasions since. Liverpool are the last English side to win the UEFA Super Cup - by defeating CSKA Moscow in 2005.
Liverpool are also responsible for the joint-biggest victory in a UEFA Super Cup match, when they beat Hamburg 6-0 at Anfield in the second-leg of a two-legged tie in 1977 (a 7-1 aggregate score). Victory for Liverpool on this occasion will put them level with Real Madrid for second most Super Cups collected, and just one behind five-time winners Barcelona and AC Milan.
The competition began in 1973, with 24 different winners across the 46 years since (the match wasn’t held in either 1974, 1981, or 1985).
Liverpool versus Chelsea takes place on Wednesday August 14, with a kickoff time of 20:00 (GMT).
Chelsea will follow up with a Premier League meeting with Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday whilst Liverpool travel to the south coast to face Southampton on Saturday.
