Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Real Madrid vs. AC Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 21 July 2023, 08:21
Real Madrid will kick off their preparations for the 2023-24 campaign with a glamour friendly against Italian giants AC Milan in California on Sunday night.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are building towards their La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao on August 12, but Milan will not start their Serie A season until August 21, facing a trip to Bologna.

Match preview

The dust has now settled on Real Madrid's 2022-23 campaign, and while their was ultimately disappointment in La Liga and the Champions League, the team won the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, so another three trophies were added to the already-bloated trophy cabinet.

There have been some major departures this summer, notably star forward Karim Benzema, but four new signings have arrived, with Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Fran Garcia and Joselu arriving to boost the squad, while Brahim Diaz has returned after a loan spell at Milan.

Real Madrid have four confirmed friendlies in the diary before the start of competitive action, and it would be fair to say that they are glamorous affairs, facing Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus ahead of their La Liga opener away to Athletic Bilbao on August 12.

The signing of Bellingham was undoubtedly a statement, but the departures of Benzema, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz have left Ancelotti short of options in the final third of the field, and there is a feeling that at least one more forward is required before the end of the market.

Real Madrid should again be major contenders for every competition that they are in next season, and this is expected to be Ancelotti's final campaign at the helm, with the Italian seemingly preparing to take over as Brazil boss next summer.

Milan, meanwhile, finished fourth in Serie A last season, while they were runners-up in the Italian Super Cup and were knocked out in the last-16 stage of the Coppa Italia.

Stefano Pioli's side also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, ultimately losing to rivals Inter Milan, and it will be fascinating to see what the team can achieve in the coming season.

Milan have boosted their squad with the arrivals of Christian Pulisic, Tijjani Reijnders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Romero and Marco Sportiello, while there has only been one major departure at first-team level, with Sandro Tonali completing a big-money switch to Newcastle United.

The Red and Whites were also able to sign star player Rafael Leao to a new contract last month, with the Portugal international, who had been linked with many of the world's biggest clubs, now committed to the San Siro outfit until the end of the 2027-28 campaign.

I Rossoneri started their preparations for the 2023-24 season with a 7-0 victory over Lumezzane on Thursday, and they will now take on Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona and Monza ahead of their first game of the new Serie A campaign away to Bologna on August 21.

AC Milan friendly form:

W

Team News

Real Madrid head coach Ancelotti named all of his big-hitters in the tour squad, with the only notable exception being Dani Ceballos, who is unavailable for selection through injury.

Bellingham is set to make his long-awaited debut for Los Blancos in this contest, while there could also be starts for Garcia and Joselu in their second spells with the club.

Ancelotti will want to make full use of his squad, so it would not be a surprise to see two different XIs take to the field, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior potentially in from the start.

Antonio Rudiger could get the nod alongside Eder Militao in the middle of the defence, while Aurelien Tchouameni might feature in central midfield with Bellingham and Toni Kroos.

Milan boss Pioli, meanwhile, selected a 29-man squad for the tour, with the notable absentees being Fode Ballo-Toure, Mattia Caldara, Marko Lazetic, Divock Origi and Ante Rebic, who are not in the manager's plans for the coming season.

Leao and Olivier Giroud are both present and should start in the final third of the field, while Loftus-Cheek and Pulisic will also be hoping to retain their spots in the starting side.

Pioli is also believed to be planning to use different XIs for each half of the match, with youngsters Chaka Toure and Jan-Carlo Simic also likely to be given opportunities to make their mark, but Ismael Bennacer remains on the sidelines with a long-term knee issue.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Garcia; Bellingham, Tchouameni, Kroos; Rodrygo, Joselu, Vinicius

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Calabria, Gabbia, Tomori, Florenzi; Loftus-Cheek, Pobega; Leao, Krunic, Pulisic; Giroud

We say: Real Madrid 2-1 AC Milan

It is always difficult to know exactly what to expect when two major clubs meet at this stage of pre-season. There will be wholesale changes throughout the match, which is almost certain to interrupt the tempo, but it should still be an entertaining contest between two quality sides, and we are expecting Real Madrid to just shade it.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England interim manager Lee Carsley has played down Harry Kane's strong words about the withdrawal of many of his teammates, insisting he is looking forward to working with other players who also deserve a chance. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly fearful that Lisandro Martinez could spend an extended spell on the sidelines with the hip injury that has forced him to withdraw from Argentina duty. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon wing-back Maximiliano Araujo has hinted that he hopes to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in the near future. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will be looking to maintain their 100% record in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they visit the Stade de Franceville to take on Gabon on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk San Marino will hope to leapfrog Gibraltar and prevent them from earning promotion from their UEFA Nations League D group when they welcome them to Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their fifth UEFA Nations League C match of 2024-25, Northern Ireland are set to host Belarus on Friday at Windsor Park, with victory enough to guarantee a place in the top two. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Zimbabwe will be hoping to book their place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they face Kenya on matchday five of qualifying this Friday at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could reportedly move for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez during next summer's transfer window. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool should arguably be considered favourites for Premier League glory after they took charge of the title race last weekend when they beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield and moved five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Burnley could reportedly offer Ruud van Nistelrooy the chance to make a swift return to English football, with the Clarets interested in bringing him in as their new manager. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal out in Porto when they face Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has expressed his disappointment at the number of players to have withdrawn from the Three Lions squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures with Greece and Republic of Ireland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi has been handed a call-up to the Spain squad for the national team's November international fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid youngster Marc Cucalon has been forced to retire from professional football at the age of 19 due to a serious knee injury which he suffered in the latter stages of 2022. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have revealed that Ansu Fati has been ruled out for around four weeks with a hamstring injury. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is facing a crisis at centre-back ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash with Poland in Porto on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal welcome Poland to Porto on matchday five of the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said that it is "the right moment" for Ruben Amorim to arrive at Old Trafford, claiming that the Portuguese "did something very special" at Sporting Lisbon. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal defender Ben White has apparently gone under the knife to treat a joint issue in his knee, which will sideline the Englishman for around two months. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly identified Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Pedro Porro as two of their top defensive targets for 2025. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly among three Premier League clubs interested in FC Nordsjaelland full-back Daniel Svensson. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Botswana will host Mauritania in their penultimate 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has provided a positive injury update ahead of potentially representing Belgium. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Scotland's stay in the UEFA Nations League's top tier could be brought to its end on Friday, when they face an almost must-win game against League A Group 1 rivals Croatia. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal is among a number of absentees for Spain, as the national side conclude their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group-stage campaign with fixtures against Denmark and Switzerland. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain will be bidding to secure top spot in Group 4 of League A in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League when they head to Denmark on Friday evening for what is shaping up to be an intriguing affair. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion forward Danny Welbeck has claimed that speculation regarding a potential return to Manchester United is "irrelevant".