INTERNATIONAL: Chelsea face Villareal in Wednesday night’s UEFA Super Cup. The match is being played at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where both teams got in a final practice session.

Chelsea practiced late into the night on Tuesday, but there was no sign of Romelu Lukaku. The Chelsea manager refused to tell reporters whether Lukaku would be returning to the club, after weekend reports said he had agreed in principle to a $135-million signing, which would be a club record. It would also bring Lukaku back to the Premier League club from Inter Milan. The now-prolific 28-year-old Belgium striker first joined Chelsea in 2011, but after only 15 appearances was sold to Everton in 2014.

Also in Belfast, Villarreal continued their UEFA Super Cup preparations on Tuesday. Villareal have a depleted squad, with many of them coming down with Covid and injuries in recent months, but coach Unai Emery says the team is motivated and focused on bagging another piece of silverware at the expense of Chelsea.

The annual Super Cup is played between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.