Real Madrid

Real Madrid will play their fifth preparation match in the early hours tomorrow in New York. The Whites, who have won the two matches that have played in the United States against Los Angeles Galaxy (5-1) and Santos Laguna (2-1), are going through the gears towards their goal of being in the best possible form for the match against Valencia on 19th August and after more than ten days of training following the third match of their American tour in just one week. It will be, on paper, the toughest match of this pre-season against a rejuvenated Milan who are the opposition that are the biggest team that they will have faced in terms titles and players. Two of the most successful European clubs and the only teams that have won every match in the World Football Challenge, in which the Whites defend their title, will play in New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Real Madrid bring to an end their stay in Los Angeles and begin the second and final stage of their American tour early tomorrow morning in New York. Los Angeles Galaxy (5-1) and Santos Laguna (2-1) were the first two of opponents for the Whites who will complete their US tour against Milan in New York’s Yankee Stadium on Sunday and then against Celtic in Philadelphia.

REAL MADRID MATCHES DURING THE PRE-SEASON
RIVAL	RESULT	STADIUM
Real Oviedo	1-5	Nuevo Carlos Tartiere
Benfica	5-2	Da Luz
Los Ángeles Galaxy	1-5	Home Depot Center
Santos Laguna	2-1	Sam Boyd Stadium

Rejuvenated Milan on three match winning streak
There have been a lot of changes in the Italian side compared to last season. The players out are Nesta, Thiago Silva, Ibrahimovic, Gattuso, Zambrotta, Seedorf, Van Bommel and Inzaghi among others and it has rejuvenated a team that has been reinforced by players who have helped reduce the average age of the squad. The Brazilian goalkeeper Gabriel, who has reached the final of the Olympic Games in London with his new teammate Pato and Real Madrid’s Marcelo, Montolivo, Bakaye Traore and Sulley Muntari, who served under José Mourinho at Inter Milan, are some of their most noteworthy inclusions.

Milan are perhaps, from the point of view of title and players, the biggest rival of this pre-season. Real Madrid will therefore face a tough test against a team on a three match winning streak, the second one of those in the World Football Challenge a creditable against Chelsea (1-0). Schalke 04 (1-0) and Olimpia of Honduras (3-1) were their other victims. Before that, in Italy they lost to Juventus (1-0) and Inter (2-1).

The two most successful European clubs meet in a famous stadium
The legendary Yankee Stadium in New York, home to baseball games, has had a makeover for match to be played in the early hours of tomorrow between Europe’s two most successful teams (16 European Cups between them: 9 for Real Madrid and 7 for AC Milan). Last Sunday, after the game between the Yankees and the Mariners the changes in the stadium began and it is now all set for the big match. It will not be the first time that the stadium has played host to a football match having already hosted Chelsea versus Paris Saint Germain on 22nd July.