Chelsea v Villarreal. Prediction and Betting Tips for UEFA Super Cup (August 11, 2021).

Chelsea enjoyed outstanding success last season. Tomas Tuchel transformed Chelsea in no time, setting aside the failures and mistakes of his predecessor. This transformation led to the Blues lifting the Champions League trophy in May. In the Premier League, Chelsea finished fourth, which can be considered a great achievement, given the level of competition for the Top 4.

Of course, the biggest victory of the last season was the Champions League. The Blues had no problems at the group stage of the tournament and faced Atletico Madrid as their first opponent in the knockouts. Having crashed the Spanish club with an aggregate score of 3:0, Chelsea moved on to the quarterfinals, where Tuchel's wards defeated Porto (2:1 on aggregate).

In the semifinals, Chelsea had to take on Real Madrid, who turned out to be a difficult opponent. The teams drew in Madrid (1:1), but at home, Chelsea gave their best and outplayed the Royal club with a score of 2: 0. In the final, the Blues were second favourites against Manchester City, but they overcame the odds, snatching a win with the single goal scored by Kai Havertz.

Chelsea have not bought any big stars yet, but Romel Lukaku's transfer is on the way. The return of the Belgian player will cost more than 100 million euros. The Blues enter the new season without Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, and Victor Moses: they left the club. Billy Gilmour went to Norwich on a loan.

Villarreal can be called the main sensation of the last season in Europe. Unai Emery's team was one of the contenders for victory in the Europa League, however, the Yellow Submarine weren't the favourites to win. Villarreal confidently won their group and in the playoffs they defeated Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, and Dynamo Zagreb, quite easily reaching the semifinals of the tournament.

Their first serious opponents were Arsenal - in the first game at home, Villarreal got a 2:1 victory, which had to be defended in London. The Yellow Submarine put a huge effort into keeping a goalless draw away and passed the club from London on aggregate. In the final, Villarreal faced Manchester United. Again, Emery's charges were keeping the draw (1:1). In the dramatic penalty shootout, Villarreal and the Red Devils took 21 kicks, and Villarreal was slightly more accurate. This was their first Europa League title.

Emery's team finished only seventh in La Liga, 19 points behind the Champions League zone, but because they won the Europa League, Villarreal earned their ticket to the Champions League anyway.

There are some changes in the squad, too. Carlos Bacca and Jaume Costa's contracts weren't renewed. The veterans were replaced by Boulaye Dia from Stade de Reims and Aïssa Mandi from Real Betis. Gerard Moreno's contract was extended for another five years.