ATHLETIC BILBAO V REAL MADRID - LATEST SPANISH SUPER CUP SCORE

A long ball towards Williams early and a filthy backflick nutmeg on Alaba to get the game going.

We're underway.

The anticipation builds.

And with that, here are the two teams, for those who missed them:

Bilbao: Simon, de Marcos, Yeray, Martinez, Balenziaga, Berenguer, Garcia, Zarraga, Munain, Williams, Sancet.

Madrid: Courtois, Vazquez, Militao, Alaba, Mendy, Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Benzema.

Well, Real overcame an El Clasico semi-final with Barcelona to win a ding-dong clash 3-2 four days ago, and they needed a Federico Valverde winner in extra time to beat the Catalans after goals fro Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema had been cancelled out twice by Luuk de Jong and Ansu Fati.

Bilbao, meanwhile, produced an excellent display to beat an Atletico Madrid side that had deployed a curious 3-1-4-2 shape, and the Lions turned around a one-goal deficit (Joao Felix) with strikes from Yeray and Nico Williams in the dying embers of the game to overshadow the late red card of Jose Gimenez.

Both sides with impressive histories in this competition.

A strong team - unsurprisingly - from Carlo Ancelotti, as he plumps for the 4-3-3 that has served his side so well up to this point in the domestic campaign. Thibaut Courtois is protected by the usual central pairing of David Alaba and Eder Militao, with the former's recovery pace a key asset when covering for the space left behind by the driving runs of the Austrian out of defence and into the midfield third. Ferland Mendy is on the left, and Lucas Vazquez will add thrust and guile down the right as a makeshift wing-back. Of course, the typical middle trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric starts, with the Brazilian holding, Kroos and Modric allowed space and freedom to roam and create, but the German will be more reserved in his movement, slotting in alongside Casemiro when Los Blancos come under pressure. Rodrygo earns himself a start on the right with his compatriot and fellow starlet Vinicius Junior off the left, flanking focal point Karim Benzema uo top.

It's a 4-4-2 shape for the side from the Basque country, with Spain number one Unai Simon shielded by an experienced back four: Oscar de Marcos and Mikel Balenziaga are the full-backs, with Inigo Martinez and Yeray Alvarez the central pair who know each other so well. On the flanks, Alex Berenguer and Iker Munain will try and add creative impetus as both move inside to create more of the 4-2-2-2 system in the offensive phases, as both will act as inverted wingers when maintaining the width and advanced playmakers as they drift infield. The central midfield two are Oier Zarraga and Dani Garcia - the workhorse duo - and both will need some protection from their colleagues out wide to aid them in their battle against the Madrid three. Inaki Williams, the talisman, starts up top, and Oihan Sancet is just behind him as the second striker, making it more of a 4-4-1-1 in possession as Sancet uses his presence to hold the ball up and release Williams with killer through balls, but in the defensive transition, he will join Williams in a two to lead the press from the front.

Let's analyse these team selections, shall we?

And here is Real's starting 11...

Here is the Athletic line-up...

... to Eurosport's LIVE text coverage of Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid's showdown in the Spanish Super Cup Final. Stay tuned for all the updates as they happen, with kick off at 18:30 GMT.