Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United

Ullevål Stadion in Oslo will play host to a mouth-watering pre-season clash between Atletico Madrid and Manchester United.

Atletico Madrid’s pre-season preparations were off to a flying start as ‘Los Rojiblancos’ thrashed Spanish lower-league outfit Numancia 4-0 in their opening summer fixture. Diego Simeone’s men are looking for a fresh start following an abysmal defending La Liga campaign last season that saw them finish a staggering 15 points behind winners Real Madrid in third. Despite a thoroughly disappointing 2021/22 season, ‘Los Colchoneros’ will take the field in high spirits, inspired by an ongoing run of five matches without losing (W4, D1). On top of that, the Spaniards have fond memories of their only previous meetings with Manchester United, having ousted the Premier League heavyweights from last season’s Champions League round of 16 (1-1 H, 1-0 A).

On the other hand, led by new manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United have shown noticeable signs of improvement compared to an underwhelming 2021/22 season. After finishing sixth in the Premier League standings last term, the ‘Red Devils’ have added a couple of high-profile faces to their squad, including Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez. Ten Hag’s side went from strength to strength during their pre-season tour in Asia and Australia. After humiliating arch-rivals Liverpool 4-0 in their inaugural summer outing, Man Utd claimed back-to-back two-goal margin triumphs over Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace. They were on the verge of completing their non-European venture with a 100% record, only to draw 2-2 with Aston Villa last time out.