Bayern Munich got its American road trip started right on Saturday. Bayern overcame a 1-0 first-half deficit against Paris Saint Germain in order to win its first match of the International Champions Cup. American Timothy Weah opened the scoring for PSG and the Ligue 1 champions took the lead into halftime. Bayern started its comeback in the second half with a goal from Javi Martinez in the 60th minute. Young star Renato Sanches put Bayern Munich up 2-1 eight minutes later, and then Joshua Zirkzee slammed the door shut with a goal in the 78th minute. After that performance, they are slight favorites heading into their match against Juventus.
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 Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPNU.
International Champions Cup Betting at BookMaker.eu
Juventus +176
Bayern Munich +139
Draw +257
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
What to watch for
Juventus made a big splash in the offseason by acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. Although the storied Italian club has dominated Serie A for the last few years, their continued failures in the Champions League led the ownership to grab one of the most decorated players in history. Ronaldo is 33, but he has shown no signs of slowing down after leading the Champions League in scoring last season.
Unfortunately, Ronaldo decided to not make the trip to America with his new teammates. After leading Portugal to the knockout rounds of the World Cup, he opted to take an extended vacation in order to be fully fit for the start of the season. He isn’t the only one taking some extra time off either. World Cup stars like Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain, Juan Cuadrado, Mario Mandzukic, Diego Costa, and Sami Khedira are all not taking part in the ICC for Juventus.
Bayern Munich has brought many of its stars to America, but few of them featured in the team’s first match. Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, David Alaba, and Sanchez ended up playing but many others sat out. On the injury front, Javi Martinez left the pitch with his right ankle bandaged up, and Arturo Vidal is still dealing with a knee issue. Both players are questionable for this match.
Juventus Player to Watch
There are a lot of stars out for Juventus, but one looks set to make his debut in Emre Can. Can was acquired from Liverpool in the offseason, and he is going to fit right into Juventus’ philosophy. He is a physical defensive midfielder that can force players off the ball, and he is solid in the air too. He won’t be out-positioned, and that will help shore Juventus up at the back. He will want to make a good impression in his first match with the club, even if it is a friendly.
Bayern Munich Player to Watch
Fans of Bayern Munich have been hoping to see something out of Renato Sanches since he was acquired from Portuguese club Benfica. Sanches is a very promising young player, but he has been unable to develop during his time at Bayern Munich. He was loaned out to Swansea City last season, yet he did not play well last season and only featured in 12 matches.
His sublime free kick goal has many hoping that the 20-year-old has turned the corner. If so, that would make Bayern Munich even more dangerous next season.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Bayern looks like it will have more of its usual starters playing in this match, so I am going to back the Bundesliga champions once more.
International Champions Cup Odds: Bayern Munich 2, Juventus 1
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