Two giants of world football, Real Madrid and Manchester United, are set for a mammoth clash in the International Champions Cup on Sunday. Expect some wonderful football and a few feisty encounters when these two teams who have some competitive stars in their camps meet for a pre-season friendly at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
This might be termed as a friendly contest but anything short of victory would be a disappointment for both the teams. With a number of off field things (transfer activity, choice of hotel and training in US) having led them to crossroads, Manchester United and Real will look to settle some scores on the field.
So, no way! This is not just one of those friendly encounters. It has much more to it. With it being the case, the full crowd in Santa Clara is expected to be entertained to the hilt by the two teams.
The Red Devils might have been quite busy in the pre-season, defeating some MLS sides and also arch-rivals Manchester City, but United and their players will be aware of this clash against Real being their biggest one.
Manager Jose Mourinho will hope to see his players, especially Romelu Lukaku fire against such a quality side as he can give him immense confidence, leading up to the Premier League. United fielded a strong side against City, and the manager will make some changes for the team, but will still have some quality players on the pitch.
Mourinho and his players might be more prepared for this game in many ways, as Real will be playing their first friendly against United on Sunday. They have been training as a unit, but when it comes to playing a game, it is a different game altogether, especially when they have not been involved in such matches for quite some time.
With no Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been given an extended break, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale will lead the line on Sunday. It remains to be seen if star defender Sergio Ramos will also feature in the match as he joined the team quite late.
No matter who plays or who rests in both the camps, there will only be one thing on their mind – victory and nothing else.
Expected starting XI
Real Madrid: Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Isco; Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema
Manchester United: David De Gea; Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Daley Blind; Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, Paul Pogba; Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard.
Where to watch live
Real Madrid vs Manchester United match is scheduled for 2 pm local time, 10 am BST, 2:30 am IST. Here are the live streaming and Tv options.
India: TV: Ten 2/HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
UK: TV: MUTV. Live streaming: MUTV.com
USA: TV: ESPN Deportes. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Australia and France: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
