International Champions Cup 2013 Bracket: Breaking Down Thursday's Matchups

The games may not mean anything, but the International Champions Cup is offering some tasty matchups. We've already seen AC Milan defeat Valencia and Everton knock off Juventus, and we're just halfway through the first round. 

On Thursday night, four more teams—Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Chelsea and Inter Milan—will be on display. Let's break down the night's matchups.

Bracket and Schedule

Real Madrid vs. LA Galaxy

The LA Galaxy will totally win this game.

Okay, okay, I'm just kidding. It would be a pretty huge shock if the Galaxy upset Real Madrid, especially without Landon Donovan (he played in Wednesday night's MLS All-Star Game) and Robbie Keane (who is dealing with a hip flexor injury, according to Adam Serrano of LAGalaxy.com.

And, I mean, Los Blancos have Cristiano Ronaldo, only one of the top two players on the planet. Plus, Real Madrid essentially brought its full team, with top players like Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria, Isco, Xabi Alonso, Kaka, Luka Modric, Mesut Ozil, Asier Illarramendi and Karim Benzema all available. 

In other words, there's no freaking way, outside of a miracle of biblical proportions, that the Galaxy are winning this game.

But hey, at least we could all have a laugh.

Chelsea vs. Inter Milan

This game should be more competitive. Still, this feels like two teams moving in opposite directions. 

Chelsea finished third in the Premier League table a season ago, brought back dynamic manager Jose Mourinho for a second spell and has largely kept intact a young and talented roster. Inter, a proud club, shockingly fell to ninth in the Serie A table a season ago, though there is still talent on this roster. 

But Chelsea should be favored in this game. The attacking trio of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar is one of the most fun to watch in the Premier League, while new man Andre Schurrle will look to make a good impression and Romelu Lukaku will try to lock down the starting forward role. 

Of course, in the preseason, with both teams playing back into shape, anything could happen. But top to bottom, the Blues have the deeper and more talented side. 

Look for Chelsea to get the best of their Italian opponents. 

Predictions

Real Madrid defeats LA Galaxy, 5-1

Chelsea defeats Inter Milan, 3-2