What We're Reading
Pep vs. Mourinho: Subplots Abound Ahead of UEFA Super Cup
- Bundesliga.com, Thursday, August 29, 2013 3:28 PM
Pep Guardiola on Friday faces his second chance at early season silverware when his Bayern Munich team travels to Prague where it will play Jose Mourinho and Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup, the competition that pits the winner of last season’s Champions League against the winner of the Europa League.
As Bundesliga.com points out, the game carries extra significance for Bayern, which was beaten by Chelsea on penalties in the 2012 Champions League final held in the German giant’s home stadium. "We still have a score to settle,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. "Hopefully we can win."
For Chelsea coach Mourinho, it will be a chance to compare his young team to “the best in the world last season,” but it will also be yet another chance to face Guardiola, who he’s met 15 times in UEFA competition, managing just three wins.
The Portuguese explained: "Only teams with a great mentality and fantastic soccer abilities win [a treble]." Mourinho also won three trophies with Inter Milan in 2010. "To maintain that level in all three competitions was fantastic [...] It is good for us to measure where we are in terms of playing against the best."
