10 of the Biggest Pre-Season Friendlies to Look Forward To
The transfers are being made and the excitement is building, but before we get to start the 2015/16 season in Europe, we've got to get through pre-season.
In these days of money-spinning summer tours, the pre-season fixture list can often look like the latter stages of the Champions League, with European superpowers going head-to-head in the most glamorous of locations.
This pre-season is no different, and here are 10 matches to look out for.
Manchester City vs. Roma, July 21, Melbourne Cricket Ground
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The pre-match Twitter exchanges prior to one of last season's Champions League meetings between the clubs must have created a bond between Manchester City and Roma, who will meet at the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground in a tournament in Australia.
The MCG was full to its 95,000 capacity when it staged Liverpool's 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory in 2013, and the meeting of two of Europe's elite teams is sure to draw the crowds to a venue that's more accustomed to hosting cricket and Australian Rules Football.
On the pitch, both of these sides will see this match as a good chance to prepare for a season in which they're both seeking to go one better than 2014/15's second-place finishes.
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, July 24, Melbourne Cricket Ground
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Three days after that Roma clash, City are back at the MCG to face the might of Real Madrid.
Bidding to create a fanbase in Australia, where franchise club Melbourne City are based (Manchester City will play them on the Gold Coast on July 18), Manuel Pellegrini's side will be hoping to win over some hearts and minds when they take on one of the most recognisable names in world football.
For his part, new Real boss Rafael Benitez will see the game as a chance to run the rule over his new team against quality opposition, although whether apparent transfer target Sergio Aguero, according to the Daily Mirror, will play following his Copa America involvement is unclear.
Barcelona vs. Manchester United, July 25, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
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Manchester United won the pre-season International Champions Cup last summer to give them a perfect start to life under Louis van Gaal. When they return to the United States, they'll come up against European champions Barcelona in Santa Clara.
In a match taking place at the San Francisco 49ers' Levi's Stadium—brilliantly nicknamed the "Field of Jeans"—Van Gaal will come up against a club with whom he had two spells as manager, and as United return to the Champions League in 2015/16, he'll see this as the perfect test.
It remains to be seen just how strong the Barca lineup will be, given the match will be taking place just seven weeks after they won the Champions League and with the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar having played in the Copa America. However, any Barca side is a good one, and an intriguing clash can be expected.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea, July 25, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
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It was one of the most memorable matches of last season, and Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain will reprise their Champions League last-16 meeting when they reconvene at the Carolina Panthers' Bank of America Stadium.
We're unlikely to see anything like the drama of March, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off and Thiago Silva scored PSG's extra-time winner, but the English and French champions will be determined to put on a good show and deliver a victory for what is likely to be a huge crowd.
Pre-season trips to the U.S. have been commonplace for Chelsea since Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003 as they've relentlessly sought to build their worldwide fanbase. The club's growing army of supporters is likely to be out in force again this summer.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Juventus, July 25, AFG Arena, St Gallen
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Not all of these mega meetings are taking place on another continent, with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus both taking a short hop to neutral territory to face each other in St Gallen, Switzerland.
Both sides have lost talismanic figures over the summer, with Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp ending his time at the club and Juventus forward Carlos Tevez leaving to move back to Argentina, so there will be an air of rebuilding when the pair meet here in relatively low-key circumstances.
New Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel will doubtless see the game against the Champions League runners-up as a key fixture in his first pre-season with the club, though, and the clash between two sides who met in the last 16 of the Champions League last season could be an entertaining one.
Barcelona vs. Chelsea, July 28, FedEx Field, Washington D.C.
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Any time Jose Mourinho comes up against Barcelona, it is worth watching. That will be the case at the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field on July 28.
Mourinho's dislike for the club where he used to work has long been established, but ahead of a season in which he must be desperate to make an impact in the Champions League, following disappointing exits to Atletico Madrid and PSG in the last two campaigns, he'll see this as an early chance to measure up against Europe's finest.
Mourinho has coached Chelsea at the stadium before, leading them to a 2-1 victory over D.C. United in the short-lived World Series of Soccer in July 2005.
Manchester United vs. Paris Saint-Germain, July 29, Soldier Field, Chicago
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The Chicago Bears' Soldier Field is another of the iconic NFL stadiums being used to host two European football heavyweights this summer, with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain heading there for another International Champions Cup match at the end of July.
PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic might well be playing in his final pre-season with the Parisiens, so he will be looking to give some of his fans in the States the treat of a good performance. Meanwhile, United will be hoping that memories of last summer's success in this tournament spur them onto victory this time around.
Soldier Field did stage a match in last summer's ICC, when Liverpool beat Olympiakos 1-0 thanks to a Raheem Sterling goal.
MLS All-Stars vs. Tottenham, July 30, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, San Jose
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The MLS All-Star team could feature a couple of heavyweight additions this summer, with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard both in line to play for the side in this summer's All-Star game, which will see Tottenham Hotspur head to San Jose.
Ex-Spurs stars Robbie Keane and Clint Dempsey are more likely to make the lineup, given that both have made their name in MLS already, but with New York City FC's Lampard and LA Galaxy's Gerrard set to start their American dreams in earnest, will the beginning of their Stateside careers see them face a familiar foe?
More importantly, can they play in the same midfield?
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur, August 4, Allianz Arena, Munich
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Once they're done in the States, Spurs will head to Munich for a rendezvous with a couple of familiar faces.
With a return to the Champions League again eluding them, this is going to be the only opportunity Spurs fans have to see their team go up against former favourites Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in the coming campaign, with their side set to face Real Madrid in the Audi Cup tournament at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.
Taking place just a few days before Spurs kick off their Premier League season away to Manchester United—and with a final or third-place playoff to come on August 5—the fixture will either give Mauricio Pochettino's men the perfect sharpening up for the new season or completely demoralise them by reminding them of what they used to be.
Bayern Munich vs. AC Milan, August 4, Allianz Arena, Munich
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A potential Audi Cup final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid would be worth watching, but while Real have to get past Tottenham on August 4, Bayern will have to beat AC Milan later that same evening.
Pep Guardiola will be eager to get his troops up to speed ahead of his third season in charge in Bavaria, but the match is surely bigger for new Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic, the former Sampdoria manager who will be desperate to help Milan return to former glories.
At the very least he'll hope his team do better than the last time they were in the Audi Cup two years ago, when they went 5-0 down to Manchester City inside 36 minutes—going on to lose 5-3.
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