By the time that Bayern Munich and AC Milan take to the field on Tuesday, they will know just who is waiting in the final of the Audi Cup.

Real Madrid take on Tottenham Hotspur in the first semi-final in Germany, but all four teams are guaranteed two games in the space of 24 hours, with the third-place play-off also taking place on Wednesday, in addition to the final of the competition.

Bayern Munich

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Bayern do not actually start their Bundesliga defence until August 14, when they host Hamburger SV. However, it has been a busy pre-season for Pep Guardiola's team, who have already played four times since the end of the 2014-15 campaign.

The German outfit's preparations started back on July 18, when they opened their pre-season with an impressive 4-1 victory over Valencia. That was followed up by a 1-0 win over Inter Milan, but their last two results have been disappointing.

They drew 0-0 with Guangzhou Evergrande in their last pre-season match on July 23, before losing on penalties. Next came the DFL-Supercup against Wolfsburg and Guardiola's team were beaten 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

The German champions have already played plenty of football in pre-season, and two matches in the space of 24 hours will again boost fitness ahead of the new campaign. Bayern will be expected to impress on home soil, however, and could face Real Madrid in a glamour final on the Wednesday.

In terms of looking forward, Bayern might not open their Bundesliga season until August 14, but they are in German Cup action this Sunday, with Nottingen their opponents. In truth, that will be treated as another pre-season work-out, with the real business starting the week after.

There was huge disappointment in the Champions League last season and the challenge for Bayern is to return to the top of European football. Matters at home will more than likely take care of themselves, but matching the likes of Barcelona is the challenge for Guardiola, whose long-term future with the club is far from secure.

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AC Milan

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For a team of such prestige and standing in the European game, Milan have actually only won the Serie A title once since the 2003-04 season. That success occurred in 2011, but since then, it has been a disappointing few seasons for the Italian giants.

Finishing eighth in the 2013-14 season was seen as an absolute disaster, but it got worse last term, when they eventually finished down in 10th. The new season brings new opportunities, however, and it is up to Sinisa Mihajlovic, who replaced Filippo Inzaghi at the helm last month, to revitalise the club as a whole.

Like Bayern, Milan have also had a busy pre-season schedule thus far, which can only stand them in good stead for the new campaign. The Italian side recorded back-to-back 5-1 wins over Alcione and Legnano on July 10 and July 14 respectively, before losing 2-1 to French runners-up Lyon.

Mihajlovic's side then recorded a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the United States, before drawing 0-0 with Real Madrid on July 30 – eventually losing on penalties. Their performances during pre-season have been of a high level and there is a feeling that a corner has been turned this summer due to their spending.

The likes of Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano have been introduced to add goals – something which has not been a problem for the pair over the last couple of seasons. Returning to the top four is a goal for the new campaign, but challenging Juventus still seems a long way off at this stage.

The Audi Cup is also Milan's final pre-season competition as they build towards the start of the Serie A season. First up for the Italian giants is a difficult trip to Fiorentina on August 23. Who knows what could happen if the team make a strong start to the new campaign.

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Team News

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Bayern boss Guardiola could hand a first start to new signing Arturo Vidal, who made his debut for the German champions against Wolfsburg last time out.

Guardiola could also hand starts to Juan Bernat and Mario Gotze as he prepares to face two games in the space of 24 hours.

Robert Lewandowski is once again expected to lead the line with support from Thomas Muller, however, as the Bundesliga outfit build towards the start of the new season.

As for Milan, summer signings Bacca and Adriano, who have mostly been used off the bench in pre-season, are both expected to start in the final third.

Ricardo Montolivo is also pushing for a start after returning off the bench against Real Madrid, but the likes of Nigel de Jong, Alex and Suso are all expected to keep their spots in the starting team.

Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Benatia, Bernat; Alonso, Thiago; Gotze, Vidal, Muller; Lewandowski

AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Lopez; De Sciglio, Alex, Mexes, Antonelli; De Jong, Honda, Suso; Bacca, Niang, Adriano

Head To Head

In total, these two teams have clashed in six competitive matches. AC Milan have posted four wins against Bayern, who have somewhat surprisingly failed to beat the Italian outfit in a competitive game.

However, the last two meetings between the two European giants have been friendlies. In 2011, the pair played out a 1-1 draw, but Bayern beat Milan 4-1 during pre-season back in 2009.

Their last competitive match was in April 2007, when Milan advanced in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 2-0 win in Germany, which made it 4-2 on aggregate to the Italians. That same season, Milan were crowned European champions.

We say: Bayern Munich 2-1 AC Milan

On home soil, Bayern are certainly the favourites, but the German champions have not exactly been blowing teams away during pre-season.

Milan, on the other hand, have put in some strong performances against strong opposition and will certainly feel confident entering the match. We think that it will be a very tight and cagey affair, but expect Bayern to just run out narrow winners.

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