When the International Champions Cup was first announced a few years ago, there were a lot of fans who were skeptical about the need for another trophy, especially one that was played in the preseason. Several years on, though, the introduction of this tournament has proven to be a stroke of genius. Not only are fans in other parts of the world getting to see the best teams in Europe up close and personal, we are all getting treated to an exciting brand of competitive football, something that is usually sorely missing from preseason games.
You only had to watch the first half of the Manchester United versus Tottenham game on Thursday morning to get an idea of just how committed players are to winning these games. If you needed a reason to stay home this Friday night, the ICC has presented you with one, with the Madrid derby all lined up and ready to go. Neither team has particularly impressed in this tournament, so both will be looking to hit a positive note on Friday night. Real Madrid is the slight Soccer Betting favorites for this one, with the goal total set at 3.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid 2019 International Champions Cup Odds & Pick
- When: Friday, July 26, 7 PM EST
- Where: MetLife Stadium, NJ
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- ICC Odds: Real Madrid +114 (Total 3)
Why bet on Real Madrid?
Unfortunately for Real Madrid, most of the headlines in the offseason have been about what is taking place off the field as opposed to on it. The signing of Eden Hazard was a positive, but their handling of the Gareth Bale situation has been shameful. The sad thing here is that Bale would still appear to have plenty to offer, banging in a goal in a 2-2 tie with Arsenal in their last outing.Still, it has not been a very good showing overall at this tournament, with Madrid going down 3-1 to Bayern Munich in the opener before picking up an extra point against Arsenal by winning in a penalty shootout. This is still preseason, but after a comparatively poor season last year, Real Madrid fans will be looking for something more from their team.
Expected Line-Up
- 13-T. Courtois
- 4-Sergio Ramos
- 12-Marcelo
- 2-Daniel Carvajal
- 5-R. Varane
- 10-L. Modrić
- 8-T. Kroos
- 22-Isco
- 28-Vinicius Jr
- 9-K. Benzema
- 50-E. Hazard
Why bet on Atletico Madrid?
The biggest question that Atletico Madrid need to answer in this preseason is who is going to step up and filling the scoring role left open with Antoine Griezmann’s transfer to Barcelona. If the opening game of the tournament is anything to go on, then Madrid is not going to have a particularly easy time in answering said question.
They looked lifeless on the attack in a 0-0 tie with Guadalajara, which is arguably the easiest game they will have of their 3 in the ICC. If there was one positive to be taken from that result, it was that the defense looked as solid and organized as always and that they picked up an extra point by winning the penalty shootout. Atletico will be looking for more here, though.
Expected Line-Up
- 13-J. Oblak
- 15-S. Savić
- 23-K. Trippier
- 22-Mario Hermoso
- 12-Renan Lodi
- 8-Saúl
- 14-Marcos Llorente
- 19-Diego Costa
- 9-Álvaro Morata
- 11-T. Lemar
- 7-João Félix
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
The last meeting between these two came in February in LA Liga play, with Real Madrid winning that one by a score of 3-1. I’m not so sure we see that many goals this time around, as I have Real Madrid winning a close one.Score: Real Madrid 1 – Atletico Madrid 0
