The Real Madrid vs Manchester United match will be featured in the Soccer Champions Tour 2023 pre-season game on Thursday, July 27, 2023. Taking place at the NRG Stadium in Texas, the Real Madrid vs Man United match is scheduled to kick off at 07:30 AM WIB.
This encounter between Real Madrid and Manchester United will be their first meeting since they last faced each other in August 2018 in the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament. At that time, Manchester United won with a score of 2-1.
Facing Manchester United will be Real Madrid’s second pre-season match. Previously, under the management of Carlo Ancelotti, they won 3-2 after coming back from a two-goal deficit with goals from Fikayo Tomori and Luka Romero. In the second half, Los Blancos made a comeback with two goals from Federico Valverde, followed by a late goal from Vinicius Junior, securing their victory.
For Manchester United, this will be their fifth pre-season match. The Red Devils have previously won against Leeds United, Lyon, and Arsenal, but they suffered a 1-3 defeat in their latest match against Wrexham.
Unfortunately, Real Madrid will have to play without midfielder Dani Ceballos due to an injury, which is expected to keep him out of action until September.
Carlo Ancelotti is likely to stick with the 4-4-2 diamond formation against MU, with some changes in the team’s composition, especially in the forward line where Vinicius Jr is expected to return to the starting XI. Players like Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, and Luka Modric are expected to return to the starting lineup as well.
From Manchester United’s side, coach Erik ten Hag is expected to field his strongest lineup, having learned from their previous match against Wrexham where they fielded mostly young players.
This match is also anticipated to be the debut for goalkeeper Andre Onana, who was recently signed from Inter Milan, as a Manchester United player.
Predicted Lineups:
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos; Valverde, Modric; Bellingham; Joselu, Vinicius
Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mount; Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford.
Head to Head:
01/08/18 Man United 2 vs 1 Real Madrid
09/08/17 Real Madrid 2 vs 1 Man United
24/07/17 Real Madrid 1 vs 1 Man United
03/08/14 Real Madrid 1 vs 3 Man United
06/03/13 Man United 1 vs 2 Real Madrid
Last 5 Matches – Real Madrid:
24/07/23 Real Madrid 3 vs 2 AC Milan
04/06/23 Real Madrid 1 vs 1 Athletic Bilbao
28/05/23 Sevilla 1 vs 2 Real Madrid
25/05/23 Real Madrid 2 vs 1 Rayo Vallecano
21/05/23 Valencia 1 vs 0 Real Madrid
Last 5 Matches – Manchester United:
26/07/23 Man United 1 vs 3 Wrexham
23/07/23 Arsenal 0 vs 2 Man United
19/07/23 Man United 1 vs 0 Lyon
12/07/23 Man United 2 vs 0 Leeds United
03/06/23 Man City 2 vs 1 Man United
Looking at the preparations, Manchester United seems to have better readiness compared to Madrid. Although MU lost 1-3 in their latest match against Wrexham, it was mostly due to fielding a young squad.
In their last encounter on August 1, 2018, Manchester United had a sweet memory of winning 2-1. In the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament, MU secured the victory with goals from Ander Herrera and Alexis Sanchez after initially falling behind with a goal from Karim Benzema.
Bola.net predicts that the match between Real Madrid and MU will end with a 3-2 victory for Manchester United.
Manchester United’s efforts to offload players with minimal contributions are about to come true. Two MU players who failed to secure regular starting positions last season are reportedly in the process of moving to another club.
Central defender Harry Maguire and midfielder Scott McTominay have the opportunity to move to West Ham United in the 2023/2024 season. According to Sky Sports, The Hammers are currently engaged in serious negotiations with MU regarding the transfers of Maguire and McTominay.
Maguire is likely to be loaned to West Ham due to the obstacle posed by his high salary. On the other hand, McTominay is set to make a permanent move to London in the summer of 2023.
West Ham is in need of Maguire and McTominay to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season. McTominay could serve as a replacement for Declan Rice, who was recently sold to Arsenal for a record transfer fee, surpassing Jack Grealish’s move from Manchester City.
MU hopes to secure around £30 to £40 million from the sale of McTominay, which will be used to boost their transfer budget. Manchester United is in need of a new forward.
So far, MU has only acquired two players, attacking midfielder Mason Mount and goalkeeper Andre Onana. However, the potential purchase of a new striker is hindered by the requirement to sell players first, as MU has already spent nearly £100 million on Mount and Onana.
Both Maguire and McTominay are no longer part of MU’s plans for the next season. Maguire has dropped to the fifth-choice center-back since the second half of the last season, with manager Erik ten Hag preferring to field Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, and even left-back Luke Shaw as center-backs. The removal of Maguire as captain also indicates his imminent departure.
Meanwhile, McTominay is finding it difficult to secure a place in the first team with the arrival of Mount. Moreover, MU is also planning to promote 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo in the 2023/2024 season.
