Author: cimi

?Bayern Munich take on Real Madrid on Sunday in the International Champions Cup in Houston, Texas, with both sides looking to get off the mark in the tournament.

The match will showcase new signings for both sides, with Real boasting the arrivals of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Rodrygo, and Ferland Mendy. Bayern will be hoping to give fans a glimpse of World Cup hero Benjamin Pavard.

Take a look at 90min’s preview of the clash below.

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Where to Watch

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?When Is Kick Off?	Sunday 21 July
?What Time Is Kick Off?	?01:00 (BST)
?Where Is it Played?	?NRG Stadium, Houston
?TV Channel/Live Stream?	?ESPN
?Referee?	?TBC

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Team News

?The only player missing from the Munich squad is £72m signing Lucas Hernandez who is recovering from a knee operation back in Germany. Niko Kovac will be looking to give the club’s young talents some invaluable first team experience.

As for Zinedine Zidane, he will be missing former Manchester City prospect Brahim Diaz due to a bicep injury. A summer with a heavy international schedule will also mean late returns from those involved in the Copa America, the Gold Cup, and the European Under-21 Championships. 

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Predicted Lineups

?Bayern  Munich	Neuer; Pavard, Alaba, Sule, Kimmich; Gnabry, Tolisso, Thiago, Coman, Singh; Lewandowski.
?Real Madrid	?Courtois; Varane, Vallejo, Odriozola, Mendy; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Rodygo, Hazard, Jovic.

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Head to Head Record

Excluding friendlies, the two giants have met 26 times?. Los Blancos have the edge over Die Bayern with 12 victories compared to the German’s 11. 

The most recent meeting between the two came in the 2017/18 Champions League semi-finals when it was Zidane’s side who progressed, eventually going on to win the competition for the third season in a row.

In fact, Bayern haven’t managed to beat the side from the Spanish capital since 2012, a record Kovac will want to put an end to.

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Recent Form

There is no doubt that Bayern will be hoping to pick up where they left off in last season’s incredibly strong run-in that saw the squad win the DFB Pokal and pip Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title.

However, their performances in this summer’s friendlies so far have been a mixed bag, losing to Arsenal in their International Champions Cup opener.?

Sunday’s match in Houston will be Real’s first since they limped home with a 2-0 defeat to Real Betis at the Bernabeu on the last day of the 2018/19 La Liga season. They will be looking to put last year behind them and continue where Zidane left them two seasons ago.

Here’s how each side has fared in their last five results:

?Bayern Munich	Real Madrid?
?Arsenal 2-1 Bayern Munich (18/7)	?Real Madrid 0-2 Real Betis (19/5)
?Lindau 2-4 Bayern Munich (29/5)	?Real Sociedad 3-1 Real Madrid (12/5)
?Kaiserslautern 1-1 Bayern Munich (27/5)	?Real Madrid 3-2 Villarreal (5/5)
?RB Leipzig 0-3 Bayern Munich (25/5)	?Rayo Vallecano 1-0 Real Madrid (28/4)
?Bayern Munich 5-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (18/5)	?Getafe 0-0 Real Madrid (25/4)

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Prediction

Both managers will be looking more at the performances rather than the result. However, there is no harm in winning matches in preparation for the new season. 

?Real Madrid have lots of work to do after last season’s shambolic performances. They may also still be a little rough around the edges with much of the squad yet to play together.

?Bayern Munich will perhaps be a little more prepared but not by much. Their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal shows the importance of having these games, highlighting any major problems before the start of the season. 

The Germans should come out on top.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Real Madrid

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Chelsea continued their pre-season preparations with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale. 

The Blues came into the game having already played two matches in pre-season. The first was a lackadaisical draw against Bohemians in Frank Lampard’s first game in charge, before they ran out 4-0 winners in their second game against St Patrick’s Athletic. 

Lampard’s side began the game in sloppy fashion, conceding early chances to Kawasaki Frontale and although they regained control of possession, they did little to break down the J-League champions.

Lampard opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with Jorginho and ?Mateo Kovacic operating slightly deeper than the adventurous Mason Mount. The midfield three worked hard in the first half, though opportunities were given to Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater in the second half.

They lacked a cutting edge though, despite Christian Pulisic’s introduction – and were punished a few minutes from time when Leandro Damiao nodded in at the back post to condemn the Blues to defeat.

Here’s 90min’s review of the action.

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Chelsea

Key Talking Point

Lampard will have a lot to discuss with his coaching staff and his players after this performance. Admittedly, Kawasaki are in the middle of their season and this was evident by their fitness and the nature of their play. However, there were a number of individual mistakes that provided opportunities to the Japanese outfit. 

The choice of formation will be the key talking point for Chelsea fans, with Jorginho appearing to enjoy himself in a more advanced role alongside Kovacic. At the tip of the three, Mount was influential – and provided the frontline with many opportunities. 

Bakayoko and Drinkwater in for Kovacic and Jorginho. Talk about dropping standards.#Chelsea #CFC #preseason

— Just a Bunch of Thoughts on Chelsea (@JBOTS_Chelsea) July 19, 2019

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The link-up play between Michy Batshuayi and Mount was of particular significance, with an early understanding there for all to see. Kenedy was also given an opportunity to impress, but he was disappointing in the final third despite drifting in from the wing and taking up good positions.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Caballero (7); Azpilicueta (6), Zouma (4), David Luiz (6), Alonso (5); Jorginho (6), Kova?i? (6), Mount (7); Kenedy (6), Batshuayi (7), Pedro (6)

Substitutes: Zappacosta (6), Christensen (5), Emerson (6), Drinkwater (6), Barkley (8*), Pulisic (6), Palmer (5), Bakayoko (5), Giroud (6)

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STAR MAN

There is still much to work on for Lampard’s side, but the new head coach can be excited by certain performers. 

Most notably, Ross Barkley was outstanding in the second half. The Englishman came on with a point to prove, and he did exactly that – playing two wonderful eye of the needle passes for Kenedy, who unfortunately would spurn the chances.

Although Kennedy’s been great can’t help but feel frustrated by his decision making #Chelsea

— Esperance (@eschelsio) July 19, 2019

The Brazilian started off sluggishly in the opening 20 minutes, but warmed to the game with constant movement and direct running. 

Another notable performance was that of young midfielder Mount. The Englishman operated higher up the field and was picking up nice pockets of space. He and Batshuayi combined well and the Belgian was able to use these intricate passes to carve out some opportunities for himself. 

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Looking Ahead

Chelsea will look to improve upon this performance when they face Barcelona in four days time. The Blues have already played three games, and have four more before they commence the 2019/20 Premier League season against bitter rivals Manchester United.

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Napoli’s purported interest in Inter striker Mauro Icardi is now ‘concrete’ after the Neapolitans offered him a €7m pay packet at the Stadio San Paolo.

Icardi, who has been at Inter since leaving Sampdoria in 2013 for around €13m, has scored 124 goals in 219 appearances in his tenure, but was recently left out of the recent pre-season tour to Asia to allow him to find a new club.

And, according to Calciomercato, it is I Partenopei who have taken up the mantle to sign Icardi, with the club engaging in formal talks with his entourage over the fine print of a potential contract. 

It is understood that their latest offer was in the region of €7m-a-year and, while there is room for negotiation, the inclusion of a number of additional bonuses could help sway the striker.

While talks have been ongoing with the man himself, Napoli have not spoken to the Nerazzurri since June. Back then, when asked what they would want for the 26-year-old, the Milanese club requested a swap deal involving both Fabian Ruiz and Piotr Zielinski.

Evidently not too keen on this, Carlo Ancelotti and co decided to focus their initial attention on agreeing personal terms in principle with the player, before returning to the negotiating table with their rivals.

That now seems like a smart move, because, in their desperation to get rid of Icardi and sign Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku, the number nine’s valuation has slowly decreased, with the Serie A side now content with a sum ‘well below’ €70m.

#Inter boss Conte on Icardi: “He is out of Inter’s project. This is the reality in this moment”

— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) July 19, 2019

But while a move is not close to being done, Inter boss Antonio Conte has again reiterated that Icardi has no future in the fashion capital of the world – stating: “He is out of Inter’s project. This is the reality in this moment.”

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?It’s becoming one of the overplayed stories of the summer, but Arsenal’s move for Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba might finally be nearing completion as the Gunners appear to have reached an agreement with the French side. 

Unai Emery’s side have multiple plates in the air as far as transfer dealings go at present, with deals for Kieran Tierney, Dani Ceballos and Everton Soares all being negotiated despite their seemingly minimal transfer budget.

Amidst all that, however, Saliba has remained a top priority, and ?Sky Sports report that ?Arsenal have reached an ‘agreement in principle’ with ASSE over a potential transfer.

It’s unclear exactly how much they will pay for the towering 18-year-old as yet, but the fee is believed to be somewhere in the region of £25 to £30m, and it is expected he will return to his current club on loan for the forthcoming season.

It is understood that ?Tottenham were also interested, but a bid from their north London counterparts never materialised, and it’s the Gunners who look to have been able to get a deal over the line.

Saliba made 17 appearances at the heart of the Saint-Etienne defence last season, establishing himself as a fixture in the side towards the end of the season and cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting defensive talents on the continent.

Although he won’t solve any of the short-term issues facing Unai Emery, with ?Laurent Koscielny set to leave and Shkodran Mustafi seemingly no longer trusted, Saliba should see his value rocket further after a full season of first-team football, and could prove to be an immeasurably important defensive addition to the squad in 12 months time.

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?Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is in danger of seeing his proposed summer transfer to Inter fall apart, much to the annoyance of head coach Antonio Conte.

Inter’s pursuit of Lukaku so far this summer has been fairly public, but consistent failure to put forward an offer that United would find acceptable has seen no progress made.

Sky Sports reported earlier this week that Inter are ready to offer Lukaku a five-year contract worth a total of £41m in wages – equivalent of around £160,000-per-week, but Inter’s best offer to United totalled £63m plus add-ons – well short of the Red Devils’ £79m asking price.

That report noted that Inter are ‘reluctant’ to pay so much and ‘would prefer to find some middle ground’. And yet United have continued to stand firm.

Now, an update on the situation from The Sun takes it further still and alleges that Inter are ‘getting cold feet’ about paying £75m, or more, for Lukaku. As a result, the Nerazzurri are said to have ‘suddenly started to question if he is worth the money’.

Understandably, Conte is described as ‘angry’ and ‘fuming’. As well as failing to land Lukaku, Inter officials also haven’t managed to deliver the new boss Roma striker Edin Dzeko, and yet pre-season preparations are well underway. On top of that, Mauro Icardi and Radja Nainggolan, both identified as surplus to requirements by Conte, appear no closer to leaving the club.

Speaking to press in Singapore, Conte described himself as ‘frustrated’ by the situation, stating his desire to sign Lukaku but acknowledging that he remains a United player.

“I think frustrated is a big word,” Conte lamented. “He is a United player. That is the reality. You know I like this player. I tried to bring him in Chelsea. Today Lukaku is a United player. At this moment we are talking about a player from another club. I consider him an important player for us to have a good improvement. At the same time, there is a market, we know our situation.”

Conte: “I think frustrated is a big word. He is a @ManUtd player. That is the reality. You know I like this player. I tried to bring him in Chelsea. Today Lukaku is a United player.”

— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) July 19, 2019

The Sun makes the point that by threatening to walk away, Inter may be trying to call United’s bluff so that the Old Trafford club are obliged to lower their valuation of Lukaku.

The fact that Inter have so far failed to meet an asking price that has been set for weeks is a hint that they may not have the available funds to go any higher.

But with Lukaku still an asset after scoring a number of goals as a substitute in the second half of last season after losing his starting place to Marcus Rashford, it remains to be seen whether United will take the bait. At this point, it seems unlikely.

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The Inter media are so desperate to see a deal for Lukaku it was even alleged this week that United have made a £63m bid for Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a replacement. The website FC Inter News was the rather suspect source of that rumour.

News that won’t help the ongoing speculation surrounding Lukaku is his confirmed absence from the pre-season friendly between United and Inter in Singapore. The 26-year-old has been nursing a minor injury, which already forced him to sit out the recent 4-0 win over Leeds, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has explained: “He’s not fit so he won’t be available.”

However, David de Gea and Luke Shaw, who missed the Leeds game through illness and injury respectively, are both expected to play some part against Inter this weekend.

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