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With FIFA 2018 World Cup done and dusted, football has come to a juddering halt. But we're still reeling from the hangover of a month-long dose of exciting and exhilarating action unfolded in Russia.
The new season in club football is still three weeks away, but some of them have begun preparations with a few low profiles, piffling friendlies. But don't you worry, the International Champions Cup along with a few other pre-season tournaments is coming your way soon to satiate your craving for some genuine entertainment.
Of course, they too are only friendlies and not all first-team players participate, they nonetheless promise exciting matchups in what's viewed as a pre-season Champions League of sorts.
Like the years preceding this one, we have numerous top billing duels lined up from the US to England; from Spain to Singapore. Here are the top 7 of them you must keep an eye on:
#7 Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund (21st July)
Let's start with the inaugural clash itself. ICC 2018 kicks off this Saturday in Chicago's Soldier Field stadium with Premier League champions Manchester City taking on Borussia Dortmund.
Whilst these teams haven't met in a competitive game since the Champions League encounter way back in 2012, they did collide in this particular tournament two years ago with City triumphing 6-5 on penalties in an enthralling game.
This one promises to be a cracker too. Manager Pep has a big task on his hands of retaining the league title, and would definitely use the American tour as an opportunity to experiment with his new lineups. With a handful of first-teamers still recuperating from the exertions of an enduring World Cup, he still has enough players flying for the tour to field a strong lineup.
The City fans would also get to see new signing Riyad Mahrez in action for the first time in the sky blue shirt. But that's not all, the Yellow Submarine would be getting a hint of their new manager Lucien Favre, who takes charge of Dortmund for the first time in this game.
#6 Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan (12th August)
This may not seem as high profile a clash as it appears on paper, but this does hold significance. The Nerazzurris are back in the Champions League reckoning after a gap of five years and have been thoughtfully preparing for the same with a couple of good signings.
Stefan De Vrij finalised his move shortly after the conclusion of last season, but the marquee arrival has to be that of Radja Nainggolan, who was signed from league rivals AS Roma last week. The 30-year old was also left out of Belgium's World Cup squad and is hence expected to feature in all three of Inter's pre-season games.
A match against the reigning Europa League champions in their own backyard would definitely be an early preview of what's in store for them in their European return. However, Atletico would be playing Real Madrid in the UEFA Supercup just 4 days after this clash, so questions remain over whether Simeone opts to approach this game at full strength.
And as a matter of fact, this is also the final fixture of the ICC 2018.
#5 Real Madrid vs Manchester United (31st July)
This is turning out to be a regular event now. Real Madrid and Manchester United first met in the ICC in 2014, then again in 2017 before the UEFA Supercup clash just weeks later. Now another year later, here they go again. But this time, there's no Cristiano Ronaldo to add to the frenzy.
This fixture would normally carry the intrigue of watching the Portuguese ace going against his former side, yet, the Madrid fans would at least see new manager Julen Lopetegui preside over his first ever game.
The Spaniard succeeded Zinedine Zidane last month, just days before the start of Spain's World Cup campaign and would get his Real Madrid tenure off against the Red Devils in a friendly game in Miami.
Lopetegui is a strong purveyor of possession-based football and also known to promote young blood. This game would nothing but give a small glimpse of the same as well as find out what role exactly would Gareth Bale have under his tutelage, now that Ronaldo is gone.
As for Jose Mourinho, he isn't known to take these games too seriously. But after a trophyless campaign last term, he would be compelled to hit back stronger this season and the pre-season presents an opportunity to work out his new tactics and strategies. Starting with this game.
#4 Paris St.Germain vs Atletico Madrid (30th July)
As aforementioned, the best part about the ICC event is the interesting fixtures between Europe's top dogs, and this is surely one of them. A Champions League level clash, PSG and Atletico Madrid have never met in a competitive game before.
In fact, they've been drawn against each other just once in all history - another ICC game back in 2009 that ended 1-1. However, neither sides were as glamorous back then as they are today, and hence this one promises an exciting encounter.
This is actually going to be the last of three games that Les Parisians would be playing in the tournament, but also the toughest. New manager Thomas Tuchel has huge responsibilities of guiding this side to its maiden Champions League title, and a small extent of his capabilities would be tested in these games, especially against the resolute Rojiblancos, who'd be aiming for bigger things in the new season after clinching the Europa League earlier this year.
This game is scheduled to take place in Singapore's National Stadium in Kallang. Mark your calendar already!
#3 Barcelona vs Tottenham Hotspur (28th July)
Another intriguing tie we'd love to see happen in the Champions League sometime, Tottenham Hotspur would be facing their toughest pre-season test against the mighty Barcelona at the splendid Rose Bowl arena in Pasadena.
Spurs have become an emerging force under the vile Mauricio Pochettino, finishing within top four in each of the previous three seasons, and even coming agonizingly close to the Premier League title on two of those occasions. Now with a new stadium built up, the Lillywhites are looking forward to scripting new history and reach new heights. This fixture presents a good way to experiment for it.
Since a whole majority of Tottenham's first-teamers were actively involved in Russia, we might see a slightly weakened lineup. Yet, this is an opportunity for the youngsters and fringe players to make a mark.
Tottenham and Barcelona have met only once in before - a two-legged tie in the now-defunct European Cup winners Cup back in 1982 but did play a friendly at the Wembley in 2009 that ended even stevens at 1-1.
#2 Manchester United vs Liverpool (28th July)
It becomes quite boring when you see league rivals face off in the pre-season too. But any fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool is always worth keeping an eye on. The great Premier League rivals have met in a friendly only thrice before, but what makes this one interesting is the fact that it is staged at Michigan's Ann Arbor stadium, where the Red Devils played Real Madrid in front of an unprecedented 109,000 spectators in 2014 to set the record for being the highest attended football game.
Expect the fixture to whip up another massive fanfare. The Reds still have the Champions League final loss vivid in the memory but have added new weapons in the armor to launch a sustained assault on all four fronts.
Klopp has confirmed the prolific frontline of Firmino, Mane and Salah would be featuring in the tour, but attention would also be upon the new arrivals Fabinho and Shaqiri.
United's biggest arrival so far has been Fred, and the Brazilian would be looking to make an early impression with his new colleagues.
#1 Real Madrid vs Juventus (4th August)
Well, you know what's in store here. Cristiano Ronaldo is going to participate in the tour as the anxiously awaiting Juventus fans would get a glimpse of their new signing in action. But this fixture might also see him line-up against Real Madrid, which would then be his first one against his beloved club since the shock departure.
As glamorous as it may sound, the only thing missing here is stakes. Yet, watching the club's greatest player aligning alongside some other team and play against them, would definitely arouse strange feelings in the Madridistas. Even though this is not a competitive game.
The European giants have clashed several times in the recent years in the Champions League, with Los Blancos triumphing on more occasions. But all those games had Ronaldo's imprints on it. He's scored in all 7 games against his current employers, netting a ridiculous 10 times in the process. But it would be interesting to see him get one against the side he made his reputation as one of the best ever.
