World’s best clubs are getting ready to lock horns at the International Champions Cup stage / Image via internationalchampionscup.com
The International Champions Cup is living up to its name this year, with 15 of the world’s best teams to play fixtures in three countries this summer.
The 2017 version of the tournament, which is in its fifth year, boasts the champions of England, Italy, Germany, Spain and Europe, in what is set to be a festival of football over 13 days. Betting on pre-season football is notoriously tricky, but bonus offers for UK bookmakers make wagering on the upcoming games all the more enticing.
The majority of the action will take place in the United States, with some mouth-watering fixtures for fans Stateside to enjoy.
Real Madrid’s clash with Manchester United in California will have the supporters out in their droves and be a warm-up for the forthcoming European Super Cup clash in August. All the clubs will use the competition as valuable exercises to increase match fitness and test themselves against some of the best teams and players on the planet.
However, with the British season starting in advance of any of their European counterparts, the Premier League sides will look to make the most of the games.
United will be ready to show off a number of summer signings, with all eyes set to be on new striker Romelu Lukaku following his big-money move from Everton. With the Old Trafford outfit harbouring ambitions of fighting for major silverware in 2017-18, both domestically and on the continent, playing against the top teams in the world in the ICC will be ideal preparation.
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur will both also participate in the United States, with the sides having different experiences of being among Europe’s elite teams. While Pep Guardiola’s outfit have been global heavy hitters since Sheik Mansour’s takeover of the club, Spurs are getting used to their place at the top table after a second-placed Premier League finish last season.
On the other side of the world, Chelsea and Arsenal will compete in Asia against top opponents and in new environments.
The Premier League champions have two games in quick succession in Singapore, as Antonio Conte’s men face Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Chelsea will hope to have a host of new faces in their squad before the tournament kicks off, while Antonio Rudiger’s addition from Roma has been confirmed.
Arsenal also face Bayern, but the Gunners’ clash will take place in Shanghai, China.
For the North London side, facing the Bavarians and competing is an important sub-plot to the ICC clash, after the Bundesliga powerhouses thumped the English side 10-2 on aggregate in the Champions League last season.
The International Champions Cup promises exhilarating action this summer, but all five Premier League sides will use the tournament as a springboard and confidence booster ahead of the 2017-18 competitive action returning.
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