Real Madrid vs Man Utd: A Clash of Titans; Debut of New Signing.
Expected Lineups:
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos; Valverde, Modric; Bellingham; Joselu, Vinicius.
Man Utd: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mount; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford.
Form of Both Teams:
Real Madrid: Los Blancos will be without the services of Karim Benzema this season. In the match against AC Milan, coach Carlo Ancelotti utilized a 4-4-2 formation with two strikers, Brahim Diaz and Joselu. This lineup has been effectively exploring the potential of the new signing, Jude Bellingham.
Although they lost the La Liga title to Barcelona and were eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals by Manchester City, Real Madrid still had a successful season, winning the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup. However, Ancelotti is hoping that his team can regain their position in major competitions with or without further personnel additions.
Man Utd: The team has recorded three clean-sheet victories in the pre-season tour before suffering a 1-3 defeat against Wrexham with a lineup consisting entirely of young players.
Ten Hag has encouraged his players to continuously apply pressure and exploit advantages. The pre-season period is also when the Dutch coach gives opportunities to young players to showcase their talents and compete for starting spots, such as midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
Man Utd hopes to continue their impressive performances from last season when they finished third in the Premier League, trailing champions Manchester City by 14 points and ending a six-year trophy drought by winning the EFL Cup in February. The Red Devils also reached the FA Cup final, where they were defeated by their city rivals.
Team News:
Real Madrid: The only injury concern for Real Madrid is midfielder Dani Ceballos, who is expected to be out until September due to a thigh issue sustained in training last week.
Man Utd: Midfielder Fred has not participated in the pre-season period due to personal reasons and is unlikely to be available for the match against Los Blancos, while left-back Tyrell Malacia is sidelined with a thigh injury.
However, Anthony Martial is expected to return to full training ahead of this clash after recovering from a wrist ligament problem. Meanwhile, Amad Diallo has alleviated concerns about an ankle injury he suffered in the match against Arsenal.
In this match, Ten Hag may also debut new signing Andre Onana.
Prediction:
Real Madrid will likely stick to a 4-4-2 formation, with the possibility of Joselu or Brahim Diaz making way for Vinicius Junior.
Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, and Luka Modric are likely to start.
As for Man Utd, apart from Onana, Ten Hag may use a similar lineup to the one that faced Arsenal. With their current form, both teams promise an exciting match with plenty of goals.
Score Prediction (according to Sports Mole): Real Madrid 2-2 Man Utd.
