Real Madrid vs Manchester United

Houston’s NRG Stadium is the venue as Real Madrid and Manchester United go head-to-head in a blockbuster summer friendly.

Inspired by Federico Valverde’s second-half brace, Real Madrid pulled off a superb second-half comeback to beat AC Milan in their opening game on the United States tour despite trailing 2-0 at halftime. A morale-boosting victory over fellow European heavyweights helped ‘Los Blancos’ take their unbeaten streak to four matches (W3, D1), even though none has seen them keep a clean sheet. Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be out to make amends after going down 2-1 in their most recent encounter against Man Utd. That game was part of the International Champions Cup, where ‘Los Merengues’ have yet to win a head-to-head fixture despite being given three opportunities (D1, L2). Madrid’s indifferent six-game form in the build-up to this clash (W3, D1, L2) cannot offer much confidence either.

In the meantime, Manchester United’s youthful squad succumbed to a 2-1 loss to lower-league English outfit Wrexham in their last summer friendly. Erik ten Hag’s youngsters knocked the ‘Red Devils’ down from a three-game winning streak in pre-season. Each of those three triumphs came ‘to nil,’ including an eye-catching 2-0 win over bitter Premier League rivals in their opening game on US soil. Keen to get back on track, Man Utd can draw inspiration from their free-scoring form, as they’ve found the net in their last nine matches since a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United in early May. Flying out of traps should be helpful, especially considering eight of United’s last 13 games (won/lost) have seen the winner on the day keep a clean sheet.