Manchester United will continue their preparations for the 2019-20 campaign with a clash against Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.
United have beaten Perth Glory and Leeds United in their two pre-season matches thus far, while Inter recorded a 2-1 win over Lugano in their first friendly of the summer last weekend.
Manchester United
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It is difficult to read too much into pre-season results, but there is no question that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have been pleased with what he has seen from his team in their two matches this summer.
Pre-season started with a 2-0 win over Perth Glory last weekend, before the Red Devils recorded a 4-0 victory over English rivals Leeds United on Wednesday. If the first game was routine then the second was an impressive performance against one of the stronger teams in the Championship.
Mason Greenwood opened the scoring against the Whites before Marcus Rashford doubled the advantage; Phil Jones then made it 3-0 early in the second half before an Anthony Martial penalty ensured that the 20-time English champions would put another victory on the board.
United are now heading from Australia to Singapore to face both Inter and Tottenham Hotspur in the International Champions Cup before returning to European soil to face Norwegian outfit Kristiansund on July 3.
AC Milan will be United's final pre-season opponents on August 3 ahead of their Premier League opener at home to Chelsea on August 11. The start of the new campaign is approaching and there is still a lot of work to do if the team are to be ready for the clash with Frank Lampard's side early next month.
It is clear that Solskjaer has been working on a fluid front three in the two matches this summer, with Daniel James and Greenwood impressing alongside Rashford. Juan Mata was terrific against Leeds in the number 10 role, meanwhile, and the Spaniard will have given his manager some serious food for thought.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was also excellent against Leeds and looks to be a shrewd signing, but there is still no sign of deals for Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes with both Leicester City and Sporting Lisbon seemingly demanding high transfer figures for arguably their best players.
Paul Pogba is now seemingly leaning towards staying at Old Trafford, though, and the midfielder's two performances this summer suggest that he is committed to the cause. The same cannot be said for Romelu Lukaku, however, as the striker - firmly linked with Inter - is yet to feature this summer due to fitness problems.
Recent form: LDDLWW
Inter Milan
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Now under the management of Antonio Conte, Inter will be looking to build on their friendly win over Lugano last weekend when they take on United in Singapore. The Italian giants are behind their opponents when it comes to preparations for the new campaign, but will be keen to pick up a positive result.
The Nerazzurri secured Champions League qualification on the final day of the 2018-19 Serie A campaign and will be looking to get closer to Juventus in Italy's top flight next term. The gap from the champions to fourth-placed Inter was 21 points last season, showing the bridge that has to be overcome.
The Italian giants have already made moves in this summer's transfer window, bringing the likes of Valentino Lazaro, Matteo Politano and Nicolo Barella to the club. Perhaps their most important signing has been Diego Godin, though, with the experienced defender arriving on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid.
It is no secret that the club wish to sign Lukaku from United - the Red Devils are holding firm on their £75m asking price, though, and Financial Fair Play restrictions will make it difficult to complete a deal for the Belgium international unless another agreement can be reached.
Inter are said to be prepared to meet the valuation, but the deal would involve an up front payment of £40m with another £20m over three years and the final £15m potentially arriving in add-ons. It seems difficult to believe that the English giants would accept an offer of that kind, but the striker does seemingly want out.
For now, though, Inter must focus on their preparations for the new season. Conte has not included Mauro Icardi in his travelling squad, suggesting that the controversial striker will be leaving the club this summer. Radja Nainggolan has been named in the party, however, despite the speculation surrounding his future.
Barella is amongst those on the plane to Asia, though, and Inter fans will also have the chance to see Godin in action this summer. The centre-back is not expected to be available to face United, however, as he prepares to join up with the squad at a later date following his exploits for Uruguay at the Copa America.
Inter will also face Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and Valencia during a tough pre-season and Conte will be looking for a solid set of results as the former Chelsea manager looks to turn Inter into a team capable of challenging for the major trophies once again.
Recent form: DDWLWW
Team News
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David de Gea missed out against Leeds with a virus while a hamstring injury meant that Luke Shaw was also unavailable. Both players should be ready to face Inter, though, as Solskjaer shapes his team for the new season.
Lukaku's involvement is unclear, however, with the Belgian said to have been injured for the club's two games this summer. Amid the speculation surrounding a potential switch to Inter, it seems unlikely he will feature.
Brazilian midfielder Fred is now on his way to link up with his teammates, meanwhile, and could feature in the International Champions Cup fixture.
James has started both of the club's pre-season matches this summer and could now drop out, with the likes of Chris Smalling, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard expected to come in for the Inter clash.
Greenwood has been outstanding during his two performances on the right, though, and it seems probable that the 17-year-old could keep his spot as Solskjaer considers his team selection for the clash with Chelsea.
Inter played a 3-5-2 in their friendly against Lugano at the weekend, with Stefano Sensi and Marcelo Brozovic on the scoresheet for the Italian giants in what proved to be a 2-1 win.
Conte is again expected to deploy the same formation, with Ivan Perisic keeping his spot despite the speculation surrounding the Croatia international's future.
Milan Skriniar - previously linked with United - will line up in central defence, with 18-year-old Edoardo Vergani also potentially being given the chance to impress in the final third.
As mentioned, Nainggolan has also been included in the squad despite the speculation surrounding his future, but the absence of Icardi, who has scored over 120 times for the club in all competitions, has left a gaping hole in the final third of the field.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Pogba, Matic; Martial, Lingard, Greenwood; Rashford
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; D'Ambrosio, De Vrij, Skriniar; Perisic, Sensi, Brozovic, Gagliardini, Candreva; Vergani, Esposito
Head To Head
Somewhat surprisingly, these two teams have only locked horns on four occasions in competitive fixtures. Both came over two-legged knockout Champions League ties and United eliminated Inter on both occasions.
Indeed, the Red Devils knocked Inter out of the European Cup en route to winning the trophy in 1999, before goals from Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo saw the English giants progress from their last-16 tie in 2009.
The last time that these two sides locked horns in a pre-season clash was back in 2014, with United winning 5-3 on penalties after a goalless draw in the United States.
We say: Manchester United 2-1 Inter Milan
United have been impressive in their two pre-season matches thus far and are ahead of Inter when it comes to preparations for the 2019-20 campaign. It should be a tight game between two of the giants of European football, but we expect Solskjaer's side to emerge victorious.
Matt Law
