In the next in a long list of high profile pre-season friendlies, Bayern Munich take on AC Milan in China on Saturday. The game kicks off at 10:35 British Time and both sides head into this one looking to make up for their poor results they had in their opening International Champions Cup games.
Longgang Stadium, Longgang, China – Saturday 22th July 2017 – 10:35 pm
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Draw Best Odd of: 4/1 at Ladbrokes |
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FC Bayern Munich
AC MilanThese two clubs are giants in their home countries and both will be expected to challenge for every piece of silverware they are involved in. Due to that, they both know a long season awaits them, and raising fitness levels through pre-season will be vital for their chances during the 2017/18 campaign.
Due to that, and due to this game being just their second game of the summer, I expect we will see a lot of changes throughout the game, which will likely disrupt the momentum of the game, especially as we enter the second half. However, we should still be in for a competitive game, with both teams looking for a win to change their fortunes.
Bayern Munich Form
Bayern should really have won their opening game of the International Champions Cup when they faced Arsenal. They were ahead and in control, winning the game 1-0, but allowed a late equaliser, before going on to lose the game on penalties.
While this is only pre-season, they will be looking to put that behind them quickly and bounce back in a positive fashion on Saturday. The season ahead promises to be very tough on Bayern, they will play in multiple competitions and fitness is going to be key for them.
AC Milan Form
AC Milan struggled in their opening game and eventually lost that game 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund. That was disappointing and they were completely outplayed in that one, although they can be forgiven for that at the start of pre-season.
They have brought in a number of new signings, who will all take time to gel so seeing them a little out of sorts is to be expected at this early stage. Like Bayern, they are going to be busy this season, so fitness is crucial, as is team bonding with so many new faces at the club.
Team News
As can be expected with any pre-season game, both teams will field a lot of players, with regular substitutes appearing at half time and during the second half. Bayern have the more settled team out of these two, and I expect to see more well-known faces because of this.
AC Milan have a lot of new players at the club, and they will want to see what they can do during pre-season. That may mean players playing out of position, or more changes than normal so the coaches can get a good look at what they have at their disposal.
It is always tough to be confident about team news in pre-season, but looking at where these two clubs are in their preparation we can expect Bayern to field a stronger, better prepared team here.
Top Betting Tips
When betting on pre-season games, you should always work with caution as no one can really predict how seriously teams will take the game, and who will take part in it. However, Bayern Munich showed enough in their game against Arsenal to show that they are capable of winning games during pre-season and if they build on that, they will be difficult to beat here. Until the last few minutes of that game, they were in complete control and looked like the only winner, until Arsenal struck late.
AC Milan on the other hand are right in the middle of a transitional period and because of that they are going to need time to bond during pre-season. I don’t think they will mind too much how their pre-season goes, as long as they come out of the other end with high fitness levels and a squad that is starting to play well together.
Due to this, I don’t think they will be focusing on the victory quite as much as Bayern will, which makes Bayern Munich the selection in this game.
I believe the Germans will be pushing harder for victory in this one, and they also have the better and more settled squad at the moment. This should be the difference in what will probably be a decent game, between two of the biggest teams in Europe.
While fitness levels and bonding are key in pre-season, so are results and I am backing Bayern to win this game.