MLS All-Stars vs. Juventus: Key Players, Live Stream and TV Info

A selection of Major League Soccer's top talents will take on Juventus at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atalanta on Wednesday as the Bianconeri continue their pre-season preparations.

The Italian giants are taking a break from their commitments in the International Champions Cup to take on the MLS All-Stars in the annual showpiece, which pits the best that MLS has to offer against a European club.

The game has been held in this format each year since 2005, with the All-Stars coming out on top on seven occasions to the Europeans' six.

Real Madrid claimed victory last year on penalties, having played out a 1-1 draw.

Date: Wednesday, August 1

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/12:30 a.m. Thursday BST

TV: ESPN (USA), Sky Sports (UK)

Live Stream: WatchESPN (USA), Sky Go (UK)

Cristiano Ronaldo did not feature in last year's game despite Real Madrid's involvement, and after his exertions at the FIFA World Cup with Portugal he won't be present for Juventus this time around.

Per ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell, Ronaldo and the likes of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain begin their pre-season training on July 30, but they will be using Juve's facilities back in Italy and won't be joining their team-mates in the United States.

The Bianconeri will be a little light on star power as a result, but there will still be plenty of first-team talent on show, including Miralem Pjanic.

Amid speculation he could be moving on this summer, the Bosnian shut down any exit talk, per football writer Adam Digby:

Though he won't have Ronaldo or Higuain to supply ammunition to, Pjanic will serve as the chief creative force in the centre of the park for Juve, having racked up 28 assists in his two seasons at the club.

He's a goal threat from distance and a superb free-kick taker, so he'll be key for the Serie A giants in midfield.

In contrast to Juventus' side, which is missing Ronaldo, Higuain, Dybala and Mario Mandzukic, the All-Star team will have plenty of attacking talent on show. Here's the lineup for this year's team:

Included in their ranks is former Juve star Sebastian Giovinco, who has 10 goals and nine assists in 26 appearances for Toronto this year.

Fellow former Bianconeri striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has pulled out of the clash, but the likes of David Villa and Carlos Vela will be on hand. The latter was voted as the All-Stars captain after scoring nine goals in his first 16 matches for Los Angeles FC:

All-Stars coach Gerardo Martino believes the forwards can contribute to an exciting game. He told ESPN FC's Arch Bell:

"This is a team that likes to attack, to score goals, so that should provide a great spectacle for the fans. But it also has to be evened out by players who can defend well and can dispossess opponents. 

"There are some really great players in this team: Zlatan [not anymore], Villa, Vela, Giovinco, [Ignacio] Piatti, [Miguel] Almiron is another. We cannot lose sight of the fact of that these players will play 30 minutes or so instead of 90, but it is a nice challenge for this group to play against Juventus, and we'll try to do our best."

Pre-season friendlies can often lack the intensity and drama of competitive fixtures and likewise the All-Stars won't be going hell for leather when they're in the middle of their own campaign, but with a party atmosphere and some exciting players on show, it should make for an enjoyable game.