A much-anticipated UEFA Super Cup match kicks off at dawn on Thursday (11) at the neutral stadium in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, when last year's UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid take on last year's Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. According to Spanish newspaper As, Real Madrid's fans didn't seem to be too keen on the matchup, with only 1,700 tickets purchased. In contrast, Eintracht Frankfurt fans have already snapped up their allotted 8,000 tickets, and are expected to purchase an additional 17,000 tickets from the public, in a "pack the stadium" tactic to overwhelm Real Madrid.
The UEFA stipulated that Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt were each given 8,000 tickets for fans to purchase. However, Real Madrid's fans appeared indifferent to the trip to Finland, with only 1,700 tickets sold.
It was a rare opportunity for Frankfurt to participate in the UEFA Super Cup, and naturally the fans were eager to witness the moment the team won the championship. As a result, they have snapped up 8,000 tickets early. Given the high demand, it is expected that a large number of Eintracht Frankfurt fans will purchase tickets from the public.
The stadium has a total of 36,000 seats. If Eintracht Frankfurt fans do buy the 17,000 public tickets, plus the original 8,000 tickets, there will be an influx of around 25,000 Eintracht Frankfurt fans taking up nearly 70% of the seats, which will somehow turn the stadium into their home ground, and do Eintracht Frankfurt a lot of good in terms of prestige.
Looking back, in the second round of the last Europa League 8, Barcelona's fans were lukewarm towards the game, and Frankfurt fans took the opportunity to buy most of the tickets in the Ruyenberg stadium, overpowering the hosts Barcelona with their momentum, and ultimately advancing to the final round with a 3-2 reversal. Perhaps this UEFA Super Cup will be another historic comeback.
