The International Champions Cup is coming to a close. Teams are coming back from America and Singapore in order to start their preparations for the start of the season in earnest, and there are just a few games left in the competition. Most clubs have already finished their three-game slates, but Inter Milan and Lyon both have two games left to play. These two teams will meet in one of the last matches of the ICC on Saturday in Italy.
The International Champions Cup brings some of the top clubs in Europe to cities around the world that normally don’t get to see top flight football. The match will take place at Stadio Via del Mare in Lecce, Italy at 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 4, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.
International Champions Cup Betting at BookMaker.eu
Olympique Lyon +218
Inter Milan +111
Draw +268
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Last Matches
Lyon was not supposed to be in the International Champions Cup. The French club was a last-minute replacement for Spanish side Sevilla, who had to back out at the eleventh hour after the schedules for the Europa League and the Spanish Cup were released. That led to previously scheduled fixtures being juggled in order to accommodate everyone, and Lyon will be playing all three of their matches in Europe instead of overseas.
The club played well in their first game of the ICC, knocking off Benfica in Portugal by a margin of 3-2. Lyon opened the scoring in that match with Marcelo heading home a corner kick in the 40th minute. Just before the half, Lyon was able to double the lead after two nice balls gave Bertrand Traore the ball in space. The forward dipped inside his man and calmly curved a strike around the goalkeeper to send Lyon into halftime up 2-0. Benfica was able to level thanks to some poor defending, including a bad own goal from Marcelo, but Lyon’s Martin Terrier slotted home a seeing eye ball to give his team a 3-2 win.
Inter Milan has been off for a week after playing Chelsea in Nice last Saturday. In that match, Inter was able to defend well after allowing a Pedro goal in the eighth minute. They kept the Blues at bay for the rest of regulation, and Roberto Gagliardini provided the leveling goal in the 49th minute. From there, the match went to penalties. Chelsea was able to edge out a 5-4 victory there, as Milan Skriniar’s penalty miss turned out to be the decider.
Inter Milan Player to Watch
This might be the first time that we see Radja Nainggolan in Inter Milan’s kit this season. Nainggolan was Inter’s big offseason acquisition, coming over from Roma in the summer. He is a versatile two-way player that can be deployed in any number of ways, and Inter manager Luciano Spalletti is eager to see him in action. Nainggolan did not participate in the World Cup this summer, so he will have fresh legs.
Olympique Lyon Player to Watch
Memphis Depay may not have worked out at Manchester United, but he has been a shining star at Lyon. Since being acquired last year, Depay has made his presence felt in Ligue 1. He averaged scoring a goal every other game, and he showed the set piece prowess that has made him such a promising prospect since his days at PSV Eindhoven. Depay looked good a couple weeks ago against Premier League side Fulham, but he was unable to get on the score sheet against Benfica.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Keep an eye out to see if Inter announces that Nainggolan will play. He is worth a few cents on the line, and Inter are my pick to win as long as he is out there.
International Champions Cup Odds: Inter Milan 2, Olympique Lyon 1
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
