Real Madrid will kick off their preparations for the 2023-24 campaign with a glamour friendly against Italian giants AC Milan in California on Sunday night.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are building towards their La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao on August 12, but Milan will not start their Serie A season until August 21, facing a trip to Bologna.
Match preview
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The dust has now settled on Real Madrid's 2022-23 campaign, and while their was ultimately disappointment in La Liga and the Champions League, the team won the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, so another three trophies were added to the already-bloated trophy cabinet.
There have been some major departures this summer, notably star forward Karim Benzema, but four new signings have arrived, with Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Fran Garcia and Joselu arriving to boost the squad, while Brahim Diaz has returned after a loan spell at Milan.
Real Madrid have four confirmed friendlies in the diary before the start of competitive action, and it would be fair to say that they are glamorous affairs, facing Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus ahead of their La Liga opener away to Athletic Bilbao on August 12.
The signing of Bellingham was undoubtedly a statement, but the departures of Benzema, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz have left Ancelotti short of options in the final third of the field, and there is a feeling that at least one more forward is required before the end of the market.
Real Madrid should again be major contenders for every competition that they are in next season, and this is expected to be Ancelotti's final campaign at the helm, with the Italian seemingly preparing to take over as Brazil boss next summer.
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Milan, meanwhile, finished fourth in Serie A last season, while they were runners-up in the Italian Super Cup and were knocked out in the last-16 stage of the Coppa Italia.
Stefano Pioli's side also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, ultimately losing to rivals Inter Milan, and it will be fascinating to see what the team can achieve in the coming season.
Milan have boosted their squad with the arrivals of Christian Pulisic, Tijjani Reijnders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Romero and Marco Sportiello, while there has only been one major departure at first-team level, with Sandro Tonali completing a big-money switch to Newcastle United.
The Red and Whites were also able to sign star player Rafael Leao to a new contract last month, with the Portugal international, who had been linked with many of the world's biggest clubs, now committed to the San Siro outfit until the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
I Rossoneri started their preparations for the 2023-24 season with a 7-0 victory over Lumezzane on Thursday, and they will now take on Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona and Monza ahead of their first game of the new Serie A campaign away to Bologna on August 21.
Team News
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Real Madrid head coach Ancelotti named all of his big-hitters in the tour squad, with the only notable exception being Dani Ceballos, who is unavailable for selection through injury.
Bellingham is set to make his long-awaited debut for Los Blancos in this contest, while there could also be starts for Garcia and Joselu in their second spells with the club.
Ancelotti will want to make full use of his squad, so it would not be a surprise to see two different XIs take to the field, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior potentially in from the start.
Antonio Rudiger could get the nod alongside Eder Militao in the middle of the defence, while Aurelien Tchouameni might feature in central midfield with Bellingham and Toni Kroos.
Milan boss Pioli, meanwhile, selected a 29-man squad for the tour, with the notable absentees being Fode Ballo-Toure, Mattia Caldara, Marko Lazetic, Divock Origi and Ante Rebic, who are not in the manager's plans for the coming season.
Leao and Olivier Giroud are both present and should start in the final third of the field, while Loftus-Cheek and Pulisic will also be hoping to retain their spots in the starting side.
Pioli is also believed to be planning to use different XIs for each half of the match, with youngsters Chaka Toure and Jan-Carlo Simic also likely to be given opportunities to make their mark, but Ismael Bennacer remains on the sidelines with a long-term knee issue.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Garcia; Bellingham, Tchouameni, Kroos; Rodrygo, Joselu, Vinicius
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Gabbia, Tomori, Florenzi; Loftus-Cheek, Pobega; Leao, Krunic, Pulisic; Giroud
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 AC Milan
It is always difficult to know exactly what to expect when two major clubs meet at this stage of pre-season. There will be wholesale changes throughout the match, which is almost certain to interrupt the tempo, but it should still be an entertaining contest between two quality sides, and we are expecting Real Madrid to just shade it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
