A new era will begin for Real Madrid this Saturday, when Los Blancos start their participation in the International Champions Cup against Roma. Coached by Rafa Benitez, who has never hidden his love for the Spanish giants, the current La Liga runner up will try to start re-building their legend without one of their key players for more than a decade. Facing them will be Roma, a side that has shown signs of their greatness, but with the desperate need of pushing forward in order to end Juventus' reign in Serie A football.
Usually, when a season started for Real Madrid without Iker Casillas, the legendary shot-stopper was still on holiday or recovering from an injury. This will be the first time the goalkeeper from Móstoles will not be around to help, and that's one element that will make this game one you will not want to miss. Aside from the fact that Benitez will coach his first game for Los Blancos, this will be a good chance to see how the seasoned coach will work with a bunch of stars led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been clear about his desires for the upcoming season. Working with the Portuguese superstar will be Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos, who still has some doubts concerning his immediate future. Benitez has to show how he intends to make his side play, since time is not something he will have the luxury of wasting.
On the other hand, Roma will be trying to earn their first victory of the current preseason, after losing to Hungarian side Gyirmot Gior. Rudi García knows that his third season has to be charming enough to keep him around for good, since his form last year was not as satisfying as expected. In order to bring the club back to greatness, the Giallorossi will trust Francesco Totti one more time. The veteran player, who seems to be getting better as years go by, will try to prove he is still fit to fight for one more Serie A title with the help of players such as Gervinho, Pjanic and Keita.
While both sides still believe they can add some talent to their squads before the season starts, this should give fans and experts a good idea about what they can expect from these teams. With a calendar packed with high-level games, Los Blancos and the Giallorossi will try to make the most of these warmup games in order to be true contenders in their domestic tournaments and in the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid will be playing three more games against Manchester City, Inter Milan and AC Milan , while Roma also take on the EPL runner up the following week.
Roma vs Real Madrid team sheets
Roma lineup: De Sanctis; Maicon, Mapou, Castan, Cole; Uçan, De Rossi, Nainggolan; Iago Falgue, Totti, Gervinho
Real Madrid lineup: Navas, Varane, Ramos, Ronaldo, Bale, Marcelo, Carvajal, Modric, Jese, Illarra, Odegaard
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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