Two clubs looking to return to form will do battle today in a friendly between Manchester United and Valencia. The match scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET will be held at Old Trafford in Manchester and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN Deportes.
With the Premier League season slated to kick off in a mere five days, Manchester United return to the pitch to make their final preparations. Manager Louis van Gaal, however, remains concerned about the fitness of his premier center-forward. Despite that, the Manchester United boss praised the scoring prowess of one Wayne Rooney ahead of the 2014 campaign.
"I liked him [Rooney] when I was the manager of his opponent," said Van Gaal (via the Daily Mail). "He is always working very hard, has a high level and can make goals. He did that in America, four goal in his first three matches is not so bad I think."
"But we have to wait and see [about his fitness]," he added. "We are now in the beginning of the preparation. The physical training will go on before our first league match."
Rooney and company will have one final opportunity to reach match fitness against Valencia this afternoon.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Valencia's Pablo Piatti was influential for the club during the 2013-14 campaign. In 17 league appearances with, the 25-year-old finished with three assists and an average of one key pass per match.
Manchester United's Projected Lineup (3-4-1-2): De Gea; Smalling, Evans, Jones; Shaw, Fletcher, Herrera, Valencia; Mata; Rooney, Welbeck
Valencia's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Yoel, Barragan, Guardado, Otamendi, Vezo, Gaya, Feghouli, Parejo, Alcacer, Piatti, Gil
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