End to end action.

United fail to clear the ball and it drops to Casemiro on the edge of the box, but the Brazilian lashes his strike off target.

The first real chance of the game falls to Real Madrid.

It's Casemiro who stoops to get his head onto a corner, but his powerful effort rattles the crossbar from six yards out.

United goalkeeper David de Gea was beaten.

The Red Devils then break forward with a three on two, with Paul Pogba leading the attack, but he is caught in two minds whether to pass or shoot and loops a weak effort into the hands of Keylor Navas.

Nemanja Matic picking the ball up on the halfway line and releasing Paul Pogba out wide with a lovely, outside-of-the-foot pass. A sign of things to come this season.

Madrid defender Raphael Varane is no slouch though and halts his fellow Frenchman's foray forward.

Image source, EPA

An interested spectator.

Madrid frontman Cristiano Ronaldo keeps an eye on proceedings from the bench - will we see him in action later against his former side?

Image source, Reuters

Did anyone fancy a late trip to Skopje today? A flight to Macedonia would only have set you back a mere £700.

You can go from Manchester to Skopje in September for £100.

Meanwhile, Madrid striker Karim Benzema gives new United arrival Victor Lindelof some work to do, having to chase the Frenchman back to clear the danger.

Image source, Reuters

United seeing plenty of the ball in the early stages and are pushing Real Madrid back towards their own 18-yard box.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes his own luck and megs Sergio Ramos on the edge of the box, but slips over and the chance ebbs away.

The Red supporters in the ground are making plenty of noise.

Image source, PA

Brilliant play from Paul Pogba. You get the sense he will show his true class this season after being freed up with the arrival of Nemanja Matic.

The Frenchman takes David de Gea's goal kick on his chest, swivels and spins away from Luka Modric before playing the ball through to Jesse Lingard.

The Englishman shows his pace to break forward, but is thwarted by two Madrid defenders on the edge of the box.

Image source, Reuters

Some matches hadn't even started when Bristol City got up and running with the first goal of the night in the EFL Cup.

Inside two minutes, Jens Hegeler has put the Championship club ahead against Plymouth.

Meanwhile, Barnsley also have an early lead against League Two Morecambe.

United-linked Gareth Bale wins the first corner of the evening, as Nemanja Matic comes across to block the cross.

From the set-piece, Marcelo's ball into the box loops high into the Skopje sky and it drops to the Welshman around seven yards out.

Bale, unmarked, sticks a right foot out at it and it goes sailing wide of goal.

He should have done better.

Confirmation we will have a three-minute drinks' break on 30 minutes in the first half and 75 minutes in the second half.

Bit of confusion early on in the Madrid back line as Romelu Lukaku chases down and wins a long ball ahead of Keylor Navas and Raphael Varane, but a Madrid man is able to get across to clear.

Feeling hot, hot, hot...

Prayers, huddles, fist-bumps done.

We are under way in the Uefa Super Cup in Skopje.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

There is a jam-packed fixture list in the EFL Cup too, with 29 EFL Cup first round matches taking place.

We will bring you updates from those matches.

If you fancy it, you can listen to coverage of Grimsby v Derby on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra right now.

"Put your hands up in the air," is the instruction in the pre-match ceremony.

The performers on the pitch and the fans in the stands are all getting involved.

Plenty of fun in Skopje.

Image source, PA

A very warm warm-up for Manchester United.

Kick-off is under five minutes away.

Image source, PA

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, speaking to BT Sport: "Sure, this is where the proper business begins. Usually we would say it is next week but this is an amazing chance against champions of Europe. Tonight we go for it."

On starting new £31m centre-back Victor Lindelof: "We have lost players through suspension in Phil Jones and Eric Bailly and have Marcos Rojo injured so Victor goes. Victor is a good player."

On the heat in Skopje: "It will affect both teams. I don't think it is a huge problem because we had pre-season in the US and the temperatures were high. We will have to cope with it. We will have to see if the referee allows drinks breaks."

Your combined Real Madrid and Manchester United XIs.

Cold Can Flower Boy:

Image source, Cold Can Flower Boy

Flemming Jensen: Schmeichel; Neville, Cannavaro, Stam, Irwin; Redondo; Giggs, Zidane, Laudrup, Beckham; Cristiano.

Pinda Mann: Schmeichel; G.Neville Rio, Hierro, Carlos; Keane; C Ronaldo, Zidane, Giggs; Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy

Image source, Getty Images

Drink breaks will be used during the game if the scorching Skopje weather continues upto kick-off.

A heatwave named 'Lucifer' has hit southern Europe with temperatures in the Macedonian capital regularly rising above 40C.

It was 36C when Mourinho's United side trained at the National Arena Filip II on Monday - and a repeat of those temperatures for the Super Cup itself would see cooling breaks implemented.

No confirmation yet from Uefa as to whether there will be a break. We will find out during the match.

Combined Man Utd/Real Madrid teams...

Tom Wright‏: Schmeichel, Salgado, Ferdinand, Hierro, Carlos, Keane, Scholes, Zidane, Seedorf, Ronaldo, Ronaldo.

Najam Syed: Casillas, Neville, Ferdinand, Hierro, Carlos, Scholes, Zidane, Modric, Figo, C Ronaldo, Ronaldo

Closer to home than Skopje, we have 29 fixtures to keep a beady eye on. That's because this season's EFL Cup is about to kick off.

Fresh from making their Football League debut at the weekend, Forest Green Rovers host League One side MK Dons in their League Cup bow.

Luton Town had a gr-eight opening game of the League Two season, thrashing Yeovil in a 8-2 home win. Tonight they host Championship side Ipswich Town.

Elsewhere, Championship sides Derby County and Fulham are hoping to avoid upsets when they travel to League Two duo Grimsby Town and Wycombe Wanderers, while Cardiff City and Portsmouth meet in a cup fixture for the first time since 2008 - when they played in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Local pride is at stake in a trio of derby ties as Bradford City host Yorkshire rivals Doncaster Rovers,Preston North End make the short journey across Lancashire to Accrington Stanley, and AFC Wimbledon welcome Brentford.

Image source, Google Maps

Yeh, if you have not heard already, we are heading to Skopje in Macedonia for the Super Cup.

The match is being played at the Philip II Arena which has a capacity of 33,460 and is hosting its first major European showpiece.