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Football’s billionaire barons gather in Australia’s sporting capital for the crème de la crème of this winter’s friendlies – it’s Manchester City versus Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:45pm.
With all due respect to AS Roma and the passionate Giallorossi support, there’s only been one game that has been the talk of Melbourne town since word spread about the International Champions Cup.
No player in Melbourne this week can command a greater profile within his club than Francesco Totti, but his presence cannot solely better the plethora of stars waiting to walk onto the hallowed MCG on Friday night. You can give the organisers credit – they have saved the best until last.
Friendly in name this may be, but in many ways, this fixture can be used as an accurate precursor for the fortunes of Manchester City this season. Since the takeover of the City Football Group in 2008, Manchester City have twice managed to conquer the best of England in winning the domestic league title – an honour in 2012 they previously waited for 44 years for.
Yet despite the hundreds of millions shelled out for new players, managers and facilities, European success eludes the blue half of Manchester. This season will mark the club’s fifth consecutive appearance in the Champions League, from which they have yet to go past the Round of 16. Clubs like Real Madrid are the ones Manchester City must beat to either progress from the first elimination round, and clubs like Real Madrid they’ll find in the later rounds. Dismiss it as a friendly if you must, but there is incentive there for the club in Eastlands, as well as their manager, who faces the club he previously was in charge of.
Changes are likely for City’s second game in three days, but one player expected to start is Raheem Sterling, who took only three minutes to make his mark for his new club since arriving from Liverpool.
Against the might of Real Madrid, Pellegrini may opt to once again start David Silva as a lone striker, or return to one of Edin Dzeko or Steven Jovetic. Neither forward has had any game time since arriving in Australia, with both rumoured to be heading for the Eastlands exit, but a start against Europe’s premier club could spell a reprieve for either player.
Further behind, and Pellegrini may switch keepers with Joe Hart likely to replace Willy Caballero, while retaining the first choice pairing of Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala in defence. Changes are likely to occur in midfield, as new signings Fabian Delph and Patrick Roberts could see their first game time for their new club.
It’s a new era as well for Real Madrid, but in an old way. The familiar face of Rafa Benitez is back home, and after years of finding his feet at Valencia, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea and Napoli, Real Madrid’s former B-team coach has gained the keys to the Bernabeu. While Manchester City have only recently joined football’s billion dollar gravy train, Real Madrid was the instigator. Up until this season at least.
It’s a strange notion pairing fiscal prudence and Real Madrid together, but that is exactly the scenario when your only one player in Danilo has been purchased for above 10 million pounds.
The rest all fall south of that total, with Real Madrid even farewelling club icon Iker Casillas and maestro midfielder Sami Khedira for free, and seemingly struggling to keep hold of new captain Sergio Ramos, who continues to be chased by Manchester United. Despite this, Real Madrid can never lack pulling power – names like Ronaldo, Rodriguez and Bale assure us of this.
Real Madrid will have had the benefit of a longer preparation for this game following their weekend penalty loss against Roma, and as such may opt to honour the likely sell-out crowd with their strongest side. That includes Ronaldo, Rodriguez, Bale, Ramos and Benzema.
The names are there, all we need now is the exhibition. While Real are likely to play in the traditional Benitez mould of stubborn defence, Pellegrini’s team may be encouraged to throw caution and entertain the masses. Nothing less would suffice in possibly the most star-studded game of football Australia has witnessed.
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