Juventus vs. Bayern Munich: 2018 ICC Time, TV Schedule and Live Stream
July 24, 2018
Juventus start their 2018-19 pre-season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Wednesday, when they meet Bayern Munich in a high-profile International Champions Cup encounter.
While the Bianconeri will be without high-profile summer signing Cristiano Ronaldo, there are still a number of new faces in Massimiliano Allegri's squad for the game, including Mattia Perin, Joao Cancelo and Emre Can.
Bayern are already one game into Nico Kovac's tenure, getting their pre-season off to an impressive start on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in Austria. This fixture represents another chance for the squad to impress their new boss against high-class opposition.
Although it is a friendly encounter, the ICC adds extra significance to these summer clashes, so expect a competitive game in Philadelphia.
Here are all the details you need on how to catch the action between these European giants.
Date: Wednesday, July 26
Time: 7 p.m. (ET), 12 a.m. (BST)
TV Info: Premier Sports (UK), ESPN 3 (U.S.)
Live Stream: ESPN Player (U.S.)
Juventus Get Pre-Season Under way
There's been so much excitement about what Juventus can accomplish this season, and there will no doubt be a number of shirts with Ronaldo's name and number on the back in Philadelphia on Wednesday. But with the forward still resting after the FIFA World Cup, it will be a while before we see him in black and white stripes on the field.
Instead we'll get to see how other parts of the Juventus squad are shaping up. And between the sticks, in particular, they have a big decision to make following the departure of the iconic Gianluigi Buffon at the end of last season.
Having joined from Genoa in this window, Perin is set to make his first appearance for the club here. As noted by football writer David Amoyal, there is serious competition in Turin for a starting spot in the side in goal:
Elsewhere, Mattia Caldara should feature for Juve for the first time, while Bianconceri supporters will also get a first look at Can following his free transfer from Liverpool.
In the final third, with Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado, Mario Mandzukic and Douglas Costa not in the squad, there will be opportunities for others to make their case for a starting spot, with Federico Bernardeschi a player Juve fans will be keen to see more of this term.
Bayern appeared in decent shape against PSG in their 3-1 win, with Renato Sanches playing a surprise starring role.
Football Talent Scout broke down his performance, in which he netted a brilliant free-kick:
Sanches moved to Bayern after shining for Portugal at the 2016 UEFA European Championship, although his stock has dipped drastically since then. Last season, in a loan spell at Swansea City, the midfielder only played 12 times in the Premier League.
Bayern have Serge Gnabry as part of their squad for this fixture after he spent the previous season on loan at Hoffenheim. He impressed against PSG, setting up Joshua Zirkzee's goal.
The Bayern Twitter account provided highlights of the impressive win over the French champions:
Like Juventus, Bayern also have a number of key players missing, meaning youngsters and fringe players have the chance to put their case forward to be part of the first-team squad for the upcoming Bundesliga season.
With that in mind, those heading to Lincoln Financial Field should be able to enjoy an engrossing game. Based on their slightly superior fitness, Bayern may just have the edge on their opponents.