Atletico Madrid vs Manchester City
Manchester City have been humming along so far this pre-season as they prepare ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. They began their Club Friendly tour with a 5-3 win over J-League side Yokohama F. Marinos and followed it up with a 2-1 win against Bayern Munich.
Pep Guardiola’s men are currently in South Korea for their final game against Atletico Madrid this weekend at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
This is going to be Los Rojiblancos’ second pre-season game, and they’ll use this time not only to build fitness and chemistry but also to sort things out in order to find answers to so many questions that they are dealing with.
The Club Friendly 2023 odds favour the Sky Blues to win on Sunday, but Los Rojiblancos are not to be counted out easily, even if they’re dealing with uncertainty.
Talking Points
Who will Simeone bring on?
Here at SBOTOP, we asked whether there are sweeping changes on the horizon for Atletico Madrid. And so far, what we’ve learned is that the futures of Joao Felix and Alvaro Morata with the club, in particular, are uncertain.
Even Atletico Madrid captain Koke admits that the two of them could leave soon, so we don’t expect them to be part of the pre-season squad. Los Rojiblancos are biding their time in trying to find the right deals for Felix and Morata.
This means that Diego Simeone essentially has the same core of players to choose from, and we’re likely to see the likes of Cezar Azpilicueta, Javier Galan, and Caglar Soyuncu wearing the blue and red for the first time very soon.
Moreover, the pre-season provides a platform for their youngsters to show what they’ve got, hopefully in the Club Friendly 2023 highlights reel. Atletico Madrid have a fair share of young players who can help the first team, such as Carlos Martin, Pablo Barrios, Samuel Lino, Marco Moreno Ojeda, Rodrigo Riquelme, and Sergio Camello.
Lino is the one who is showing a lot of promise. He has attracted interest from a number of clubs, like SC Braga and RB Leipzig, but Simeone may have to think twice before letting him go, as he’s fresh off a successful loan spell at Valencia last season.
De Bruyne on the mend for Manchester City
With a Grade 3 tear on his hamstring, it is widely believed that Kevin De Bruyne is going to be sidelined for at least a few games at the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
However, there’s a chance that we might see him back on the pitch soon, as he was seen training with his teammates in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The Belgian maestro and Ballon d’Or candidate was named on the bench during Manchester City’s pre-season friendlies against Yokohama F. Marinos and Bayern Munich. Of course, he didn’t play, but it’s still a great sign nonetheless.
De Bruyne was one of the main reasons why Manchester City won the Treble last season, recording 10 goals and a whopping 32 assists across all competitions.
All 25 members of Manchester City’s tour squad are present, including Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo, who have been linked with exits from the Etihad.
Bayern Munich ultimately decided not to trigger their option to buy Cancelo. Instead, they’re looking at Kyle Walker, whom Thomas Tuchel is reportedly a big fan of.
History
Believe it or not, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City are only going to square off for the third time ever, although their first and second-ever meetings weren’t too long ago.
Atletico Madrid robbed everyone of what could’ve been a Manchester Derby Champions League quarter-final, as they eliminated the Red Devils with an aggregate tally of 2-1 to take on the Sky Blues in the next round.
Manchester City won the first leg 1-0, thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s goal after 70 minutes. Pep Guardiola’s men moved on to the semi-finals after holding Diego Simeone’s squad to an ill-tempered draw in the second leg.
In the 0-0 result, Atietico Madrid were reduced to 10 men as Felipe was sent off after two yellow cards. Felipe was not the only player who was booked, as Stefan Savic, Marcos Llorente, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Rodri, and Joao Cancelo were also given yellow cards.
After the match, police were forced to separate the two teams at the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium as Stefan Savic and Sime Vrsaljko got into it against the Sky Blues in the tunnel.
Manchester City were then eliminated by eventual champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals with an aggregate tally of 6-5.
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