Manchester City 1 Sevilla 1
09:26 PM BST
65 minutes: City 1 Sevilla 1
Moments after Palmer scores, En-Nesyri found himself clean through on the City goal but Ederson did well to make a smothering save at the striker’s feet. City have been all at sea defensively in this half, but they are level. En-Nesyri has been a right handful all night.
09:25 PM BST
GOOOAAALL! City level through Cole Palmer
That is against the run of play since half time, but City will not care. Rodri found himself with time and space to clip a cross towards the back post, possibly looking for Haaland. Palmer rightly gave the striker the shout though, and ghosted in, and looped his header over Bono back where it came from. Really well controlled finish.
09:23 PM BST
61 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
Sevilla snapping at City’s ankles but they manage to work the ball out to Grealish on the left. Once again, Sevilla sprint out to the touchline and cut off the angles.
Then Gvardiol tries to force a pass through, a sign of impatience, and Sevilla are almost through on the break again. But for a touch on the ball across from Walker, En-Nesyri would have had a tap in.
Then the Sevilla produces a brilliant flick on halfway before spinning to chase the through ball. Superb centre-forward play. A few directors of football will be watching him tonight I suspect.
09:17 PM BST
55 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
Akanji loses an aerial battle on halfway, then City cannot gain control of the second ball. That rather sums up City since half time, they have been well off it. Surely not long before changes arrive.
09:14 PM BST
52 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
Man City looking rather ragged, and Sevilla look like they are the team coping with the conditions. Ocampos and En-Nesyri leading the fight, going forward quickly whenever they win the ball. Rodri has a bad 30 seconds, losing the ball sloppily in midfield and then conceding a foul. Guardiola has his hands on his head and is cursing into the night sky.
09:12 PM BST
49 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
City beginning to find a rhythm around the Sevilla box, but Bade clears the cross and the Europa League winners stand firm.
Then Sevilla launch an incisive counter-attack down the left through Ocampos who skipped past Walker, and not many do that, and found themselves with a three on two. Ocampos picked out the ideal pass across the defence for En-Nesyri to hit first time but his shot was straight at Ederson. Should be 2-0 Sevilla.
09:08 PM BST
47 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
Rakitic’s delivery from that free-kick was a good one, and there were Sevilla appeals for a handball in the box but nothing doing. There was no distance between the City player the ball struck and the initial header.
Kovacic makes a good run in the right channel behind the Sevilla defence but Jordan reads his cut-back and clears.
09:07 PM BST
We’re off in the second half!
Sevilla have an early free kick, which they will deliver from near the left touchline.
09:06 PM BST
No changes from either manager
Surely they will not be long coming given the humidity in Athens.
09:05 PM BST
The Sevilla end celebrates the opening goal
08:53 PM BST
HT: City 0 Sevilla 1
Textbook Sevilla in Europe: canny, diligent in defence and they have taken their chance. You will not see many better centre-forward headers all season than En-Nesyri’s. Sevilla have shown City wide, and dealt with just about everything that has come into the box, by hook or by crook. Foden unable to have much of an influence so far.
08:50 PM BST
45 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
City’s best move of the match produced as the board goes up to signal three minutes of stoppage time.
It was the first time City found themselves the Sevilla defence, and Grealish teased a ball right the way across the area. Then his inswinging cross from the right landed just too far in front of Palmer in the six-yard box. Much more threatening from City.
08:46 PM BST
43 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
There was a moment there when you could have thrown a blanket almost the entire Sevilla team, protecting the edge of their box and showing City wide. Ocampos then hacks down Grealish with a wild challenge near the touchline. Akanji has a swing at a volley from the wide free-kick but his shot was blocked.
08:43 PM BST
41 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
Sevilla gave a sloppy free-kick away for a foul on Rodri, but Bono did well to punch the delivery clear before giving his defenders an earful. Then Kovacic wins a foul in midfield. City getting a grip of the game without creating a great deal.
08:42 PM BST
38 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
City put some pressure on with a couple of corners in quick succession, but Rodri’s header loops on to the bar. Sevilla are looking well organised in their narrow 4-4-2 when they defend.
Grealish momentarily finds himself inside Navas for the first time tonight, but his touch let him down and the Sevilla right-back got back at him.
08:37 PM BST
33 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
A decision for the referee to make here after Bade gets too tight to Haaland and allows the City striker to roll him. Just the yellow card show after the Sevilla defender dragged Haaland to the ground. Foden tries his luck from fully 35 yards, and the shot struck Gudelj flush in the face. He is down and receiving some attention from the physios.
08:33 PM BST
30 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 1
City now have a challenge to chase after the game in this heat. Lamela delivers another cross into the box but this time Ake clears. Sevilla have a long time to hold out, but do have their history in these finals to inspire them.
That was a lovely move from the Spanish side, Torres with a dart in behind down the right, a reverse pass into the path of Lamela but he skewed a shot wide.
08:29 PM BST
GOOOAAALLL! Sevilla take the lead shortly after the drinks break
If you miss the days when Les Ferdinand or Duncan Ferguson rag-dolled defenders and powered headers goalwards, you will love this.
The Sevilla move started with a fortuitous daisy-cutter from the goalkeeper Bono into Torres before they spread the play left.
The left-back Acuna whips in the cross, and En-Nesyri climbed highest between Ake and Gvardiol to thump his header in off the post.
08:25 PM BST
22 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
Guardiola alluded to this before the game, but in all their cup successes Sevilla have found a way to stay in games they are not necassarily dominating. Kovacic is back on his feet after taking a kick, and the players go to the touchline for the first drinks break of the night.
08:23 PM BST
20 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
Akanji defends well on halfway as Sevilla tried to counter-attack. Rakitic then does well to screen a pass into Haaland, the 35-year-old in the Sevilla midfield still going strong. City the better side, but no glaring chances for either team so far,
08:20 PM BST
17 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
Patient play for City, before the fizz the ball out to Grealish wide left. He drives inside Navas and looks to curl a shot into the far corner with his right, but Bono pushes it around the post. Sevilla defend the City corner.
08:17 PM BST
14 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
Cole Palmer has made a really crisp start to the match, looks right at home in this City team. He is holding his width on the right flank, looking to stretch Sevilla. Both teams quite happy to drop off into shape so far, neither pressing too high.
08:14 PM BST
11 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
City seeing most of the ball in the early minutes as anticipated. The pace of the game is pretty sedate as players look to manage their way through the game in the heat. Bono with a theatrical punch out of the area, and Gvardiol tries a Danny Rose vs Arsenal at White Hart Lane, but cuts across the volley and it flies over.
08:10 PM BST
7 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
Jesus Navas makes his first foray forward and delivers a threatening cross, but Ocampos distracted En-Nesyri with an attempted overhead kick when the striker may have been better placed to go for the header.
Then Palmer cuts inside and finds space for City, and tests Bono with a shot from 25 yards or so. Well struck, but not quite enough power behind it.
That was a better save from Bono though! From the second phase of a corner, Palmer curls a cross into the box where Ake is steaming in to meet it. Heads it down into the turf, but Bono reacted well.
08:08 PM BST
4 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
City may have run out 3-0 winners at Burnley on Friday night, but they did make some errors in their build-up play against Vincent Kompany’s man-to-man marking. Burnley lacked the punch up top to punish them.
City try to work a nice throw-in routine, lobbed up for Foden to flick a volley around the corner to Haaland in the box but Sevilla defend well.
08:06 PM BST
2 minutes: City 0 Sevilla 0
Erik Lamela has had the first shot of the night for Sevilla, but he dragged his effort well wide of the post from 25 yards out.
Cole Palmer gets a couple of early touches after a City switch of play to the right. Akanji then dallies on the edge of his defensive third under pressure from a red Sevilla shirt, and his pass back to Ederson only just makes the journey.
City look to be in a 3-2-5 when they have the ball, with Walker, Ake and Gvardiol the back three.
08:03 PM BST
KICK OFF!
Manchester City get us started. Already, it looks like Akanji is popping into midfield next to Rodri when City build play.
08:00 PM BST
The players are on their way out in Athens…
Walker leads out City carrying the Champions League trophy, which is not a bad way to start a game.
Everyone in Athens is emphasising the stifling temperatures. City have a difficult Premier League game against Newcastle on Saturday, so Guardiola might make use of his subs tonight. Although he can be reluctant to do that…
07:56 PM BST
Manchester City’s captain tonight
Kyle Walker wears the armband. Looks like he is going nowhere this summer.
07:45 PM BST
Guardiola speaks before the game
Europe is Europe, and we have waited a number of years to have the chance to play this final. Sometimes, it is once in a lifetime.
Sevilla have a special character for the finals and all the players are huge competitors. I know how tough it will be.
Gvardiol, step by step, still needs to learn many things that we do. We didn’t have much time to train, but all the mistakes he makes we are going to work through them.
07:42 PM BST
A big night for Phil Foden
Manchester City fans have been calling for Guardiola to trust him in the right ‘eight’ position, and he gets his chance tonight in the absence of De Bruyne. Play well, and it could be his for the next three or four months.
07:39 PM BST
Man City scaling the summit…
According to Rio Ferdinand on TNT, Man City “climbed Mount Rushmore” last season. I’m not sure it’s really there for climbing, Rio…
In fact, a quick internet search tells me it is prohibited and a few Americans have even been arrested for attempting it.
07:33 PM BST
These two teams played twice in the Champions League group stage last season
The results do not bode well for Sevilla, with City winning the two meetings by an aggregate score of 7-1. If it is any consolation, Sevilla were not the only team to get a good hiding off Guardiola’s team.
07:19 PM BST
Players on the move to Saudi…
Aymeric Laporte is on the bench for City, but Sevilla goalkeeper Bono starts tonight’s game despite being Saudi-bound. Sevilla are in a pretty dire financial position and have needed to sell players this summer.
07:11 PM BST
The trophy they are playing for tonight
Definitely one that could trip you up in the picture round of a sport pub quiz.
07:09 PM BST
The latest from Jason Burt on the Athens heat
It is just gone 9pm here in Athens – or rather Piraeus – in Olympiacos’ home stadium and it is still hot (28C) but feels hotter as it is sticky, sweaty and humid. Will be energy-sapping for the players out there. Interesting Man City team news with a first start for Josko Gvardiol after his £77million move and with Aymeric Laporte on the bench. Do not expect him to come on as he finalises a move to Saud Arabian Pro-League club Al-Nassr. Kyle Walker is captain and with Kevin de Bruyne out injured for up to four months expect him to keep wearing the armband.
07:01 PM BST
Man City’s debutant Josko Gvardiol
06:54 PM BST
Sevilla team and subs: Jesus Navas looks to be playing right-back against his former club
06:52 PM BST
The City team news analysed
Josko Gvardiol makes his first City start in his preferred left centre-back role. Ruben Dias is fit enough to make the squad, surprisingly.
The interesting calls by Guardiola are on the right side of his attack, where Foden gets his chance to impress in the De Bruyne slot and Cole Palmer starts on the right. No Bernardo Silva in the squad.
Palmer scored a cracker in the Community Shield, and like Bernardo and Riyad Mahrez before him will look to cut inside onto his left foot.
06:48 PM BST
Man City team and subs: Gvardiol makes full debut
Starting XI: Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Gvardiol, Ake, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Foden, Palmer, Grealish, Haaland
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Dias, Phillips, Stones, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Perrone, Bobb, Lewis, McAtee
06:44 PM BST
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06:44 PM BST
Can Man City add another trophy to their collection?
Are Manchester City fans excited by the Uefa Super Cup? The supporters who have travelled to Athens to watch their team face Sevilla this evening could be forgiven for feeling a touch weary, but there is no question manager Pep Guardiola is giving the occasion his full attention.
This is of course City’s first appearance in the fixture, earned by beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final in June. Given you only qualify for the Super Cup by winning Europe’s premier club competition (or the Europa League), perhaps we should be less sniffy. It is also a rare case of a trophy City are yet to win, and as Jason Burt wrote for Telegraph Sport, Guardiola came to City to make history and break new ground for the club. After watching Arsenal lift the Community Shield, they will not want to miss the chance to have their name engraved on more silverware, however minor.
The City team that starts tonight will not be as strong as the one that finished last season, though. Ilkay Gundogan has gone to Barcelona and Kevin De Bruyne is expected to miss three to four months following the recurrence of a hamstring problem. Mateo Kovacic is a fine ball progressor between the penalty areas, but cannot match Gundogan’s goal threat. De Bruyne’s absence could present an opportunity for Phil Foden to start in an attacking midfield position, but Guardiola seems to prefer him wide and City have been linked with Lucas Paqueta.
John Stones and Ruben Dias were a magnificent if unconventional partnership in the heart of City’s defence, but Stones is coming back from an injury and Dias has not travelled. That blow is softened by the signing of £77 million left-sided centre-half Josko Gvardiol, who was so impressive for Croatia at the Qatar World Cup. Gvardiol is expected to make his full City debut tonight.
Sevilla are Europa League specialists, and knocked out Manchester United on their way to winning the competition for the seventh time last season. They have lost their last five appearances in the Super Cup, perhaps not a surprising record given they are up against the Champions League holders. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Djibril Sow has been Sevilla’s headline signing of the summer and they have so far kept hold of striker Youssef En-Nesyri. Sevilla are managed by José Luis Mendilibar, another Basque coach at the top of the European game.
Full team news on the way shortly.
