Two clubs looking to return to form will do battle today in a friendly between Real Madrid and Manchester United. The International Champions Cup match scheduled for 4 p.m. ET will be held at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on FOX.
Though the match will feature two of the world's premier clubs, all eyes are on the possible return of Cristiano Ronaldo. The reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner has been dealing with a nagging knee injury throughout the summer, but could feature against his former side. Manager Carlo Ancelotti, however, is in no rush to run his premier player back out onto the pitch.
"We have to be careful," Ancelotti said (via Sky Sports). "He is taking things very carefully, but the problem is forgotten. He is training well by himself and today he did a double training session. We are going to see over the next few days whether he can play against Manchester United."
Having already bowed out of the International Champions Cup, Ronaldo and company will be allowed to return to Spain to prepare for the upcoming La Liga campaign, something Ancelotti half-heartedly welcomed.
"We will have more time to rest, but Madrid can never be happy about a defeat, and nor can a coach," he added. "But we will be able to prepare better for the Super Cup."
Only Manchester United and Ann Arbor stand in the way of Madrid's return home.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: One of the new faces charged with driving Manchester United's midfield is Ander Herrera. The 24-year-old made 33 appearances for Athletic Bilbao last season, finishing the season with an average of 3.1 tackles and 1.6 key passes per match.
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Casillas; Llorente, Nacho, Pepe, Carvajal; Illarramendi, Llorente, Isco; Bale, De Tomas, Lucas
Manchester United's Projected Lineup (3-4-1-2): De Gea; Evans, Jones, Smalling; Young, Herrera, Fletcher, Valencia; Mata; Rooney, Welbeck
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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