Twelve of the best teams in the world will take part in some star-studded pre-season action in the 2019 International Champions Cup.
The European heavyweights are well-represented with nine teams drawn from Serie A (4), the Premier League (3) and La Liga (2), and one each from Germany, Portugal, and Mexico, with Chivas de Guadalajara set to represent the Mexican league for the first time.
We’ll keep the International Champions Cup 2019 updates coming as the action unfolds and try to pick up some clues for the upcoming league campaigns.
Lining up for England, Tottenham Hotspur will be trying to retain the trophy they won in 2018, and Manchester United have a chance to bed in some new recruits as the Red Devils aim for a period of steady improvement.
Former United star Cristiano Ronaldo will be there with Serie A champions Juventus, alongside the Milan giants. The Madrid clubs, Real and Atletico, are on show, too.
Los Blancos had an underwhelming domestic season in 2018/19 and also lost the Champions League title they held for three years, so it will be interesting to see how they are shaping up in their second spell under Zinedine Zidane.
We’re trying to pick a winner here at SBOBET and these are the teams we are keeping a close eye on:
FC Bayern Munich
The Bundesliga title stayed in Bavaria last season for a seventh consecutive time despite Bayern making a slow start and Borussia Dortmund leading the way for much of the campaign.
The German champions are looking to strengthen in the close season and have been tracking Manchester City’s German winger Leroy Sane as a possible replacement for the retired Arjen Robben.
Top scorer Robert Lewandowski will be banging them in again this term and he’ll be aiming to make a strong start in the US.
Juventus
Anything Bayern can do, Juve can do better! The Bianconeri captured an eighth successive Scudetto last season, and the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo only served to increase Juve’s dominance over the rest.
Maurizio Sarri has had enough of the Premier League and has left Chelsea to return to his homeland, taking Gonzalo Higuain with him. And the capture of Arsenal midfield general Aaron Ramsay has given head coach Sarri a collection of riches in the middle of the park, with Adrien Rabot arriving from PSG on a free transfer.
They could line up alongside Miralem Pjanic, and that will leave Sarri looking for a space for Blaise Matuidi.
It’s a nice problem to have and we might get a hint of Sarri’s thoughts in the USA. Whoever starts for the Old Lady, she will be hard to beat as always.
Manchester United
Well, what can we say about Manchester United? Having dominated the Premier League and dazzled Europe for almost two decades, the Red Devils are going through a period of introspection.
Manchester City and Liverpool have raised the bar while United have floundered, and a big rebuild is needed at the Theatre of Dreams.
It could take a while, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already moved to bring more youth into Old Trafford with the signings of Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan- Bissaka and Swansea City wide man Daniel James.
I expect both to feature in this tournament and hope to see some of the youthful verve of United’s yesteryear.
Real Madrid
Los Blancos fans must also be smarting after a season of turmoil, which started with the doomed appointment of Julen Lopetegui as head coach and ended with the return of Zinedine Zidane to pick up the pieces at the Bernabeu.
Losing their Champions League crown and watching Barcelona waltz away with another La Liga title was hard to stomach, and Zidane has strengthened immediately with the signing of Eden Hazard from Chelsea.
The Belgian wizard is an upgrade for sure, and on the evidence of his scintillating Premier League form last term, he could make the difference.
Zidane will use this tournament to run the rule over his squad, but he’ll be keen to send an early message to the other European big guns.
Keep checking the SBOBET site for the very latest International Champions Cup 2019 betting odds, but in the meantime, we’ll be running the rule over the 12 teams.
At least three of the four sides I’ve selected should pick up some wins…and one will come out on top!
Full list of Teams: Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Bayern, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Juventus, Milan, Benfica, Guadalajara, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid.
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