The inaugural UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge showdown takes place at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday evening, as Sevilla welcome Independiente del Valle to their headquarters.
A second-tier intercontinental Super Cup, the one-off contest will pit the Europa League winners against the reigning Copa Sudamericana champions with an early piece of silverware on the line.
Match preview
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No matter how much they flattered to deceive in the 2022-23 La Liga campaign - even flirting with relegation until Jose Luis Mendilibar steadied the ship - Sevilla still possess all the ingredients to conjure up their remarkable recipe for success in the Europa League, clinching a record-extending seventh crown in the continent's secondary tournament last term.
Dinamo Zagreb, West Ham United, Fenerbahce, Manchester United and Juventus all tried and failed to quell the Sevilla juggernaut before Jose Mourinho's Roma lied in wait in the final, as the Portuguese sought to channel every inch of his silverware-winning specialities in Budapest.
However, after a Gianluca Mancini own goal cancelled out a Paulo Dybala opener, Sevilla held their nerve in the penalty shootout, where Argentinian hero Gonzalo Montiel - who scored the winning penalty in the World Cup final - made lightning strike twice with the title-clinching conversion from 12 yards.
Unsavoury post-match scenes soon dominated the headlines, though, as Mourinho gave referee Anthony Taylor an earful before the official and his family were disgracefully accosted at an airport by furious Roma fans, but all the while, Sevilla were revelling in yet another wonderful continental triumph - one which sealed their spot in the Champions League group stages.
A 12th-placed finish in La Liga therefore paled into insignificance for Mendilibar's side, who have already seen off Cordoba 2-0 in their opening friendly of the summer and can also look ahead to a UEFA Super Cup showdown with Manchester City in a few weeks' time.
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Several months before Sevilla continued their spate of Europa League dominance, Independiente del Valle lifted the Copa Sudamericana crown aloft for just the second time in their history, collecting their first such honour in 2019 and teaching Sao Paulo a footballing lesson to regain their crown.
Taking on the revered Brazilian side at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, the Ecuadorian powerhouses sealed their continental crown with a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Lautaro Diaz and Lorenzo Faravelli either side of the break, before also defeating Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo on penalties in the Recopa Sudamericana - South America's version of the UEFA Super Cup.
The step-up to Copa Libertadores football this year has not fazed Independiente either, as they eased to a first-placed finish in Group E over Argentinos Juniors, Corinthians and Liverpool to progress to the last 16, and their domestic dominance is showing no signs of waning either.
Indeed, Martin Anselmi's men comfortably finished in first place during the opening phase of the 2023 Ecuadorian Serie A season, taking 34 points from 15 games, thereby already confirming qualification for the 2024 Copa Libertadores and a spot in the domestic finals.
Ahead of the second phase of their top-flight campaign - which begins next month - Independiente take on Colombian side Deportivo Pereira in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores, but a recent warm-up friendly against the Orlando Pirates of South Africa ended in a 3-1 beating.
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Team News
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Youthful goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor is Sevilla's only long-term absentee at this moment in time as he works his way back from knee surgery, while Marcao and Ivan Romero are training away from the group but are not thought to be nursing anything serious.
Furthermore, Mendilibar should also be boosted by the return of several international players, with all of Bono, Marcos Acuna, Jesus Navas, Montiel, Lucas Ocampos, Youssef En-Nesyri and Nemanja Gudelj expected to play a part here.
The Sevilla warchest has only been opened once this summer, with Loic Bade joining on a permanent deal from Rennes following his loan spell, while left-back Adria Pedrosa has arrived on a free transfer from Espanyol. Going the other way, Dutch defender Karim Rekik is believed to be in talks with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq and is unlikely to be involved on Wednesday.
As for Independiente, centre-back Richard Schunke is on the sidelines with a knee problem and should not play any part in the final, but Anselmi should otherwise be working with a full contingent of players.
Among the Ecuadorian stars vying for intercontinental glory is Kendry Paez - the 16-year-old protege who will make the move to Chelsea in 2025 - and the teenager is in a strong position to start in Independiente's 4-3-3 setup.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bono; Montiel, Nianzou, Gudelj, Acuna; Rakitic, Fernando; Ocampos, Suso, Lamela; En-Nesyri
Independiente del Valle possible starting lineup:
Villa; Landazuri, Carabajal, Garcia Bosso, Medina; Alcivar, Ortiz, Faravelli; Paez, Diaz, Hoyos
We say: Sevilla 2-0 Independiente del Valle
Independiente have experienced few difficulties in seeing off their South American foes recently, but the Copa Sudamericana winners should be brought crashing back down to earth by their Spanish counterparts.
With Mendilibar's men also vying for glory in front of their own fans, Los Palanganas should not need to get out of second gear to come up trumps in this inaugural affair, adding another trophy to their brimming cabinet in the process.
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Ben Knapton
