10 Biggest Premier League Preseason Friendlies to Look Forward To

Mr XJun 1, 2018

The English Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world, and in 2013-14 it looks set to get even better.

The Eredivisie in Holland may boast the highest goals-per-game rate in the world, the German Bundesliga may boast the highest crowd attendances and La Liga in Spain may boast world football's two best players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. However, there is no beating the EPL in terms of excitement and honesty of endeavor.

Sir Alex Ferguson has parted from Manchester United after 26 years and has been replaced by David Moyes. Jose Mourinho has made a triumphant return to Chelsea, Manuel Pellegrini has succeeded Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, and Arsene Wenger and Andre Villas-Boas look set to do battle again at Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Here, Bleacher Report looks at 10 of the biggest and most important preseason friendlies as the EPL gears up for its most important season since the league began in 1992.

A-League All Stars vs. Manchester United (July 20)

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Manchester United have a preseason schedule that will take place in Thailand, Australia, Japan and Sweden before a single game is played at Old Trafford.

On July 20, David Moyes will lead his team out against the A-League All Stars in Australia. This game has received massive hype in Australia. The 82,000 capacity Stadium Australia, specially built for the Olympics in 2000, is already sold out.

The Aussie All Stars will be fired up for this game in every which way. Moyes and his new charges will have to be on their guard but will be expected to win.

The big question remains, though: Will Wayne Rooney play any part?

Celtic vs. Liverpool (August 10)

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Like Manchester United, Liverpool will also travel to the Far East and Australia for preseason. However, the biggest game on their busy schedule will take place in Dublin, Ireland, when they take on Celtic at the impressive Aviva Stadium.

Brendan Rodgers has already signed four players this summer. By the time the Reds face Celtic on August 10, he will surely have strengthened further.

Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Kolo Toure and Simon Mignolet have joined for a combined fee of just under £23 million, and Andy Carroll has left for pastures new at West Ham for £15 million.

Rodgers' new signings are curious because they are not obvious and immediate improvements upon his current players. Taking this into account, their seven preseason games will be essential if they are to get off to a good start.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Sunderland (July 24)

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Mini tournaments pop up all over the world during the summer. This summer will see Spurs travel to Hong Kong to play in the Barclays Asia Trophy alongside Sunderland, Manchester City and South China.

Tottenham will take on the Black Cats on July 24, with the winner progressing to play either City or South China on July 27.

The Sunderland game will be Spurs' first big test of the summer after games against Swindon Town and Colchester United. It will also be a repeat of the final game of last season, where Spurs won thanks to a Gareth Bale thunderbolt in the final minute.

Spurs will not only be hoping for a repeat result but also that Bale will be leading their 2013-14 assault on the top four.

AC Milan vs. Manchester City (July 31)

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Mario Balotelli and Manchester City will come face-to-face when AC Milan and City play in the Audi Trophy.

The two sides will contest a semifinal at the Allianz Arena on July 31 with Bayern Munich facing Sao Paulo later the same day. The two winners will then meet on August 1 to decide the destination of the trophy.

Balotelli will obviously be looking forward to playing against his old team and putting one over them.

Last season at City he played 14 games and scored just one goal before his high-profile transfer to Milan. In Italy he scored 12 goals in 13 games and was one of the shining lights in Serie A.

The biggest potential story of this tournament would be Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng playing against his brother and German international Jerome Boateng. The two brothers made history when they played against each other for opposing countries in South Africa 2010.

Chelsea vs. Inter Milan (August 2)

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Jose Mourinho will lead his new-old team out against another old team on August 2.

Chelsea and Inter Milan will clash at the International Champions Cup. They will be on the Eastern side of the draw with AC Milan and Valencia.

Everton, Real Madrid, Juventus and LA Galaxy will playoff on the Western side of the draw.

Like Manchester United and Liverpool, the Blues will also travel to the Far East for a number of money-spinning friendlies. They will then travel almost 15,000 kilometres from Indonesia to New York to participate in the ICC.

How Mourinho copes with this strenuous preseason schedule is anyone's guess. By the time the EPL season starts on August 17, Chelsea will have travelled over 50,000 kilometres.

But I digress; on paper, the game against Inter should be a cracker. It will provide Chelsea with their first real test, and it will be more than interesting to see how Jose Mark II sets out his stall.

Everton vs. Juventus (August 1)

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Roberto Martinez will lead Everton out into battle against Juventus in California on August 1.

The newly appointed Toffees manager will take charge for the first time as his team contest the International Champions Cup. Real Madrid will face LA Galaxy in the other Western semifinal.

Juve will provide a stern test for Everton and Martinez and are not exactly the cannon fodder a manager would like to face in his first game. The one plus point for Martinez is that the Serie A season starts on August 24, a full eight days after the EPL's opening weekend.

Considering that Juve will have a number of players coming back from Italy's exertions at the Confederations Cup, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Everton could win this game.

Martinez will be hoping to unveil new signings and possibly a new formation and playing style in the United States.

Arsenal vs. Napoli (August 3)

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Arsenal will contest the Emirates Cup at the Emirates Stadium over the first weekend in August.

The Gunners will kick off their tilt at the trophy against Rafael Benitez's Napoli on August 3. Arsenal fans will be hoping that Arsene Wenger will have unveiled a couple of new players by the time they take center stage against Napoli.

At one stage it seemed possible that Arsenal could sign Edinson Cavani but it would now look like the Naples-based striker is out of their grasp. He will probably be sold by the time Napoli arrive in London.

At this very moment in time the two teams' lineups are more than compelling. One would hope the same can be said in August. Either way, Arsenal and Napoli are box office and guaranteed to provide excellent preseason entertainment.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Monaco (August 3)

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The photo above shows Andre Villas-Boas in sunglasses enjoying the Monaco Grand Prix. On August 3, he will get to enjoy European football's newest mega-rich club when Monaco travel to White hart Lane to take on Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs have yet to make a signing this summer, although according to ESPN Brazil's Paulinho is expected to sign any day now.

Contrast that with Monaco's £60 million splash on Porto's Joao Moutinho, a former Spurs target, and James Rodriguez.

Monaco will be looking to start their season flying in their bid to catch Paris Saint-Germain FC in Ligue 1. Likewise, Spurs will be more than eager to start their season quickly as they face Arsenal and Chelsea in their opening EPL fixtures.

This game has the potential to be the most entertaining of all the preseason games whilst also giving big-spending Monaco a close look at Gareth Bale.

Arsenal vs. Manchester City (August 10)

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Most of the top Premier League teams have managed to avoid each other in preseason friendliness unless a competition throws them together.

Manchester City and Arsenal have gone against the grain here and organized an unusual friendly in an unusual location.

On August 10, City and the Gunners will play against each other in Helsinki, Finland. This is not the first time City and Arsenal have faced each other in a strange stadium. In the build-up to last season, they faced each other in the Bird's Nest Stadium in China.

City, under new manager Manuel Pellegrini, will be hoping to get an early psychological advantage over Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. The Premier League begins just seven days later.

Manchester United vs. Sevilla (August 9)

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Manchester United's biggest game of their preseason will be against Sevilla on August 9. Deservedly, it will be Rio Ferdinand's testimonial and David Moyes' first home game in charge of his new team.

Sevilla will come to the Theatre of Dreams hoping to play an easy testimonial. These games are traditionally glorified training sessions. However, with the season beginning the following week and the game being Moyes' first, they could get a thunderous reception.

Over the last five seasons Sevilla have improved dramatically and will give United a stern test. Alvaro Negredo, their captain and a Tottenham Hotspur target according to talkSPORT, is a sensational player and is more than capable of giving Ferdinand an uncomfortable night in more ways than one.