Real Madrid will look to claim their second trophy of the pre-season on Thursday, when Los Blancos meet AC Milan in the final match of the Chinese leg of this summer’s International Champions Cup in Shanghai, China. 

After emerging victorious in the Australian leg of the tournament with a dominant 4-1 victory over Manchester City, Rafa Benitez’s men continued their good form in Guangzhou on Monday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Inter Milan.

Thursday’s clash with the Rossoneri is Real’s last before returning to Europe for the Audi Cup, and it will be the latest step in an important pre-season for the Spanish giants. 

Indeed, Madrid are undergoing a significant transitional period under Benitez at present, with the former Napoli boss currently introducing a new system, style and philosophy to the outfit he inherited from Carlo Ancelotti.

After an uninspiring scoreless draw with AS Roma in Melbourne to open this tour, Benitez’s critics were gaining voice. But consecutive victories since featuring flowing football have generated a certain sense of optimism around Los Blancos. 

Thursday’s outing represents a chance to build upon that. 

  

Date: Thursday, July 30

Time: 1 p.m. BST / 8 a.m. EDT / 8 p.m. local

Venue: Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China

TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)

 

Team News

After sitting out Real Madrid’s meeting with Inter Milan on Monday, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric should be available to Benitez against AC Milan, with the club’s official website reporting that the pair joined the rest of the squad in Wednesday’s open training session in Shanghai. 

The Frenchman and Croatian had picked up knocks against Manchester City in Melbourne, and the club opted for caution on Monday at this early stage of the campaign for two major stars. Both, though, could feature on Thursday. 

Additionally, James Rodriguez can be expected to make his first start of the pre-season in this clash. The Colombian has only recently joined up with the squad after being given extra time off following the Copa America, and he made a second-half substitute appearance against Inter in which he scored with a stunning free-kick.

The only Madrid player still struggling with an injury issue is Asier Illarramendi, who suffered a muscular strain while training in Melbourne and is expected to sit out this meeting with AC Milan. 

 

Predicted Lineup

 

Players to Watch

“Keylor Navas ‘locks down’ no. 1 spot… for now,” ran a Marca headline on Wednesday, the Madrid-based daily commenting on the Costa Rican’s delicate position in front of Kiko Casilla and amid the ongoing speculation of David De Gea’s potential arrival from Manchester United. 

Thus, this pre-season is particularly important for Navas, the former Levante shot-stopper still needing to convince Benitez of his worthiness for the No. 1 position following a season largely spent on the sidelines in 2014-15. 

Thursday’s clash is another opportunity to bolster his case.

It will also be intriguing to watch Gareth Bale in action against AC Milan.

Thus far this pre-season, Benitez has used the Welshman in a central role in the hole behind the main striker, clearly wanting to afford Bale greater freedom than that which he saw from his right-sided berth under Ancelotti last season.

So far the positional switch has produced mixed results, with the former Tottenham Hotspur star putting in some encouraging but hardly spectacular displays.

For Bale to make the role his own, he’ll need to start showing he can be a match winner with the greater responsibility. Could this clash with Milan be the first time we see him thrive centrally?

 

Odds (via OddsChecker)

Real Madrid: 4/9

Draw: 7/2

AC Milan: 11/2

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1gnw4dU
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J