Manchester United vs. Manchester City: 2017 ICC Time, TV Schedule, Live Stream

The start of the 2017-18 Premier League campaign is less than a month away, and two of the division's biggest clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City, face off in a pre-season clash in Houston on Thursday.

The clubs are meeting as part of the 2017 International Champions Cup at the 72,220-capacity NRG Stadium.

There is no guarantee the result will prove which Manchester side will fare better in the 2017-18 season, but it will be fascinating to see how both squads are shaping up ahead of the new term and especially how their respective new recruits are bedding in.

Read on for a preview of the clash, along with scheduling and viewing details.

Date: Thursday, July 20

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 a.m. BST (Friday)

TV Info: ESPN (U.S.), MUTV

Live Stream: ESPN Player, MUTV

Preview

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

United made a winning start to their pre-season as they thrashed Los Angeles Galaxy 5-2 on Sunday, with Marcus Rashford netting a double before strikes from Marouane Fellaini, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial.

City's competitive preparations for the new season begin on Thursday against their fierce rivals, with Pep Guardiola's men not having played a fixture since their 5-0 defeat of Watford on the final day of the 2016-17 term.

Ahead of last season, when Guardiola and United boss Jose Mourinho were both newly installed in their respective posts, it was expected the pair would spend the campaign fighting for the Premier League title.

It did not pan out that way, with City finishing third in the English top flight, 15 points behind champions Chelsea, and United sixth, 24 points back from the Blues.

Both clubs have already invested heavily in new recruits in the hope they can better their performances in 2017-18.

United have added Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku, both of whom played 45 minutes against the Galaxy, with the former particularly impressing, per the Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst:

Meanwhile, the Sky Blues have spent big on signing Bernardo Silva from AS Monaco, goalkeeper Ederson from Benfica and, most recently, Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspur.

All three could be key to helping City win the league next season, and Thursday will present Guardiola his first opportunity to see how they work in his system against top opposition. 

Experimentation will likely be the name of the game for both managers in Houston as they look to work out their best sides for the new term.

However, the clash will not be short on intrigue and entertainment. It may be a pre-season clash of little importance, but neither City nor United will want to lose to their bitter rivals.