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The importance of pre-season is not lost on ardent football fans. A good pre-season is crucial in shaping and calibrating a team's performance for the upcoming season. Coaches and players work together to determine the tactics and fine-tune their abilities to suit the system's needs.
It also adds to the cohesion within the squad as players will have enough buffer time ahead of the new campaign to get on the same page as their teammates. Pre-season matches also allow new signings to integrate seamlessly into the team and adapt to the new playing style and philosophy.
The hard work put in during pre-season usually goes a long way towards helping a team have a thoroughly impactful campaign. Teams that have good pre-season training and matches usually start their seasons on a high and that momentum tends to buoy them towards great achievements.
Plenty of high-profile friendlies take place in pre-season and this one is no different. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best pre-season games to watch out for this month.
#5 AC Milan vs Juventus | 27 July | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California|
AC Milan's 2022-23 season was a mixed bag. While they were largely lacklustre in the Serie A, the Rossoneri made an impressive run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League where they eventually fell to arch-rivals Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, Juventus' 2022-23 campaign was marred by controversy and the new season couldn't come sooner for the Bianconeri. On 27 July, these two storied Italian clubs will renew hostilities at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Both teams have global fanbases and this is one fixture that will attract plenty of eyeballs.
#4 Real Madrid vs Manchester United | 26 July | NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas |
109,318 people showed up at the Michigan Stadium in the USA in 2014 when Manchester United and Real Madrid locked horns in a pre-season friendly. It is the largest attendance of the modern era and the Red Devils won the game 3-1.
Both Real Madrid and Manchester United are global powerhouses and are arguably two of the most popular football clubs on the planet.
Real Madrid and Manchester United should be going into their pre-seasons rather eagerly to test out new signings and prepare for a testing campaign.
#3 Manchester City vs Bayern Munich | 26 July | Japan National Stadium, Kasumigaoka, Tokyo |
On the same night that their cross-city rivals Manchester United clash with Real Madrid, Manchester City will have their own high-profile matchup. The Cityzens will go up against Bayern Munich at the Japan National Stadium.
City are coming off a wonderful 2022-23 campaign where they won the continental treble. Pep Guardiola has turned his team into a juggernaut of sorts and they are looking to bolster their ranks even further this summer.
Bayern Munich pipped Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title on the last day of the 2022-23 season. They will be hoping to do better in Europe though and it would be good to test their players against a side of City's qualities in pre-season.
#2 Manchester United vs Arsenal | 22 July | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
Manchester United and Arsenal are finally looking like serious teams again and that's great news for Premier League fans. The two English giants have had several underwhelming campaigns in the recent past but the 2022-23 season was a promising one for both sides.
Arsenal and Manchester United finished second and third in the Premier League table last term. The Gunners were leading the table for the majority of the season although they eventually squandered that towards the business end of the campaign.
Manchester United won the Carabao Cup and made it to the FA Cup final as well. Both teams are expected to do even better next season.
#1 Real Madrid vs Barcelona | 29 July | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas |
Real Madrid have four high-profile matches in their pre-season tour with the most eye-catching one among them being their friendly against Barcelona scheduled for the 29th of July. The two La Liga giants will play a Clasico on American soil and it's the most high-profile pre-season friendly this year.
Barcelona are the reigning La Liga champions and they had a thoroughly dominant domestic campaign even though their form in Europe left much to be desired. Real Madrid weren't at their best last term and will be looking to change that this time around.
