Real Madrid

The Emirates Cup has made quite a name for itself in two short years, and Arsenal has rolled out the red carpet to welcome three European heavyweights to its prestigious preseason tournament. Two matches separate Real Madrid from the sterling silver cup, the first of which is against Hamburg.

Real Madrid landed in London with a healthy squad and hopes riding high for the upcoming season, but first up, the opening match of the Emirates Cup against Hamburg.

The German side has been training for several weeks now, and in little under two weeks it kicks off the Bundesliga under head coach Martin Jol. Hamburg have already played five matches this summer, four of which resulted in victories. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have only one match under their belt, a 3-2 win over Lask Linz.

Bernd Schuster made it clear that he intends on resting his internationals fresh off the Euro. Casillas, Ramos, De la Red, and Metzelder were the last to rejoin the squad and are in anything but ideal playing conditions. Robinho and Pepe, however, are likely to see action for the first time this preseason having recovered from injuries which prevented them from participating in the previous match in Austria.

The Emirates Cup is unlike any other summer tournament. Not only does each victory count as three points and each draw as one, but every goal notches another point for the scoring side.

Real Madrid's quest for their first ever Emirates Cup first passes through Hamburg.