Atletico Madrid and Juventus will round off their preparations for their 2024-25 campaigns with a glamour friendly in Sweden on Sunday afternoon.
Juventus will open their Serie A season at home to Como on August 19, while Atletico's La Liga campaign will begin with a clash against Villarreal on the same evening.
Match preview
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Atletico have played three times this summer, opening their preparations for the new season with a 1-1 draw against Numancia on July 27 before triumphing in a penalty shootout.
Diego Simeone's side have also beaten Getafe 3-1 and Kitchee 6-1 this month, and they will now round off their pre-season with a clash against Juventus on Sunday afternoon, before beginning their 2024-25 La Liga campaign away to Villarreal on August 19.
Atletico finished fourth in La Liga last season, some 19 points off the champions Real Madrid, but their position was enough to secure direct qualification for the group stage of the 2024-25 Champions League, which is the minimum requirement for the capital giants.
The Red and Whites have made two standout signings this summer, bringing in Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth from Real Sociedad and Villarreal respectively, while Alvaro Morata has been their standout departure.
Atletico are working to further boost their squad for the new campaign, though, with Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez set to join from Chelsea and Manchester City respectively.
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Juventus, meanwhile, finished third in Serie A last season, some 23 points behind the champions Inter Milan, and they have now entered a new era under the management of Thiago Motta.
The Old Lady have only played twice this summer, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Nurnberg in their pre-season opener on July 26 before drawing 2-2 with Brest on August 3.
Juventus will also round off their preparations for the new season this weekend, before beginning their 2024-25 Serie A campaign at home to Como on August 19.
Motta's side have been active in the transfer market this summer, with their standout arrival proving to be Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa, while Khephren Thuram, Juan Cabal and Michele Di Gregorio have also joined the club.
There have also been plenty of first-team exits, so there will be a fresh look to the squad in the coming season, with more expected to arrive and depart before the end of the transfer window.
Team News
New signing Sorloth grabbed a brace on his Atletico debut last time out, with the striker registering twice against Kitchee, and he is again expected to be in the XI on Sunday afternoon.
Arthur Vermeeren is also in line for another start, with the Belgian expected to kick on in the coming campaign and battle for a regular spot in the middle of the Atletico midfield.
Koke, Samuel Lino and Marcos Llorente should also be among the starters, while there could be another appearance for Joao Felix, who continues to be linked with a departure.
As for Juventus, head coach Motta will make changes to the side that started the 2-2 draw with Brest last time out, with Danilo, who scored in the clash in Pescara, among those likely to come into the XI.
There should also be a start for recent arrival Douglas Luiz, while Bremer, who has been linked with a move away from the Old Lady this summer, should feature in the middle of the defence.
Juventus will be looking to Dusan Vlahovic for goals in the coming campaign, and the 24-year-old is set to lead the line for the Italian giants on Sunday afternoon.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Azpilicueta, Witsel, Reinildo; Llorente, Vermeeren, Koke, Lemar, Lino; Sorloth, Correa
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Danilo, Gatti, Bremer, Cambiaso; Luiz, Thuram; Weah, Fagioli, Mbangula; Vlahovic
We say: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Juventus
It is always difficult to know exactly what to expect when two European powerhouses collide in a pre-season friendly, but Sunday's affair is likely to be a close game, and we are backing a low-scoring draw here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
