UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid go into their final preseason 2016-17 game on Wednesday as they take on Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Zinedine Zidane's side have so far won once and lost once in the International Champions Cup 2016.
While Cristiano Ronaldo is a long-term absentee, French striker Karim Benzema will also not play a part for the Spanish giants. Not only did Benzema miss the Champions League final for Real Madrid, he also was not a part of Didier Deschamps' Euro 2016 squad owing to injury.
The 28-year-old striker, also like Cristiano, looks pretty unlikely to feature in the club's UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla on Aug. 9.
"We've now got this third game, which is an important one. I want us to up things and I want to be seeing more from my players," said Zidane in the pre-match presser. "The plan is for those who start the game to get more playing time. I'm happy with what we've done so far and with the work that we've put in on the tour. We trained very well in Canada."
"It's tough to improve on the team we've got, but our target is to win it all. We're ready for it, I'm happy with the squad and we're working hard," the France football legend added.
Bundesliga champions Bayern, meanwhile, haven't lost any of their previous two preseason fixtures and are looking as strong as ever. United States midfielder Julian Green scored a wonderful hat-trick for the German side in their last game as they thrashed Inter Milan 4-1.
While the winger is expected to continue his exploits, the occasion also reunites present Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti with his former club. "It will be a great experience to face my old team," said the Italian coach ahead of the match. "The priority when you come to a new club is to build a good relationship with the players."
International Champions Cup 2016: Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET (5 a.m. IST, 12:30 a.m. BST) start on Aug. 3.
Where to watch live
India: TV: Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD. Live streaming: Sony Liv
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD, Now TV. Live streaming: Sky Go
USA: TV: ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes TV. Live streaming: Watch ESPN
Spain: TV: Antena 3. Live streaming: None
Germany: TV: Sport 1 Germany. Live streaming: None