Soccer is the one sport that can truly be described as a global game. There is not a day that goes by in any given year where there is not a professional game being played somewhere in the world. The demand for big games in parts of the world where soccer is played, but perhaps not as popular as Europe, is huge, which is why the International Champions Cup has become such a big hit in the preseason months. The ICC has begun again, with a couple of games already in the books. It features 12 huge teams, all of whom will play 3 games each.
The team with the most points wins the trophy, and while it’s a nice little prize, the reality here is that all of these teams are preparing for the bigger battles ahead in their domestic leagues. This coming Saturday has 4 games on the schedule, with the game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid falling in primetime in the US. It’s a big game that the bookies have in as a PK play. The goal total for this one has been set at 3.
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid 2019 International Champions Cup Lines & Prediction
- When: Saturday, July 20 at 8 PM EST
- Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
- TV: ESPN2
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- ICC Odds: Real Madrid +124 (Total 3)
Manchester United vs Inter Milan 2019 International Champions Cup Odds & Pick
Why bet on Bayern Munich?
While Saturday will see several teams play their opening game of the ICC, this will be the second of three matches for Bayern Munich. They got their tournament off to a losing start earlier this week, going down 2-1 to Arsenal in what some might view as a bit of a surprise result. What was not particularly surprising was that Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was the scorer for Munich in that loss.
He has been one of the most consistent strikers in the world over the past few years, so seeing him getting on the score sheet in Bayern’s first real preseason challenge has to be a good sign. The reality with this team is that they are still far and away from the best team in Europe, but we all know how tough it can be to maintain such high standards in professional sports.
Expected Line-Up
- 1-M. Neuer
- 17-J. Boateng
- 27-D. Alaba
- 46-J. Kehl
- 8-Javi Martínez
- 6-Thiago Alcântara
- 24-C. Tolisso
- 40-D. Ontužāns
- 25-T. Müller
- 45-R. Johansson
- 15-J. Arp
Why bet on Real Madrid?
Last season was a poor one for Real Madrid, at least by their very lofty standards. They seemed unable to handle the huge gap left by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, although in fairness, they also had some serious injury issues to deal with. Madrid will be hoping that the signing of Eden Hazard from Chelsea will help move things in the right direction again.
They have also made it clear that they would love to acquire the services of Paul Pogba from Manchester United, with the rumor of some sort of deal involving cash and a Gareth Bale swap refusing to go away. There is always pressure on Real Madrid to play well, so even in preseason, they will be expected to show that they are ready for the coming season in La Liga.
Expected Line-Up
- 25-T. Courtois
- 12-Marcelo
- 6-Nacho
- 2-Daniel Carvajal
- 4-S.Ramos
- 10-L. Modrić
- 8-T.Kroos
- 21-Brahim Díaz
- 9-K. Benzema
- 28-Vinícius Júnior
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
You could suggest that Bayern Munich have a bit of an edge here given that they have already played a very competitive 90 minutes in this event. That said, these two appear to be very evenly matched, which is why I am on the draw for this one.
Score: Bayern Munich 1 – Real Madrid 1
