I don't know about you, but I definitely find the European soccer competition setup odd sometimes. They have about three weeks off between the end of one UEFA Champions League Competition and the start of another, they are constantly looking forward but take little time to celebrate a victory … and more obviously, they are obsessed with determining the ultimate "champion of champions of champions"!
If you are the champion of the soccer league in your own country, you earn a spot in the UEFA Champions League; then if you win the UEFA Champions League OR the UEFA Europa League, you can contest the UEFA Super Cup! This year it will be held on the first Friday of August, and in just a few days we'll get to see which team of Atletico and Fulham will be playing against the winner from the Inter Milan/Bayern main event for the UEFA Super Cup. I can only wonder how long before a new level is created, where the Suepr Cup holders face off against yet another champion team from elsewhere for a new ultimate title!
The Match
Club Atletico de Madrid sacked their coach in October, but managed to make it thus far anyway … they are facing a 'battle-hardened' Fulham FC. Fulham have been in the competition from the outset, but Atletico only joined after their exit from the Champions league. Fulham have played 19 in Euroopa league this term, just one game short of Girondins Bordeaux's record of 20 games, set in 1995/96
Club Atletico de Madrid
They may have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League (knocked out at the group stage by Porto), but they've made it all the way to the end of the UEFA Europa League. We're tipping some of the players to watch will be Simao, a 30-year old Portuguese midfielder with 19 UEFA goals under his belt, as well as forwards Diego Forlan (a 30-year old Uruguayan with 17 UEFA goals), and Sergio Aguero (Argentianian 21-year old with 16 goals in UEFA so far).
Fulham FC
Fulham doesn't have the big goal scorers that Atletico does, but keep your eye on Zoltan Gera, Bobby Zamora and Danny Murphy, each with 7-8 goals under their belt overall in UEFA competition.