Atlético Madrid are set to play their one and only International Champions Cup match, walking into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to square off against a Tottenham Hotspur side eager to shake off their loss to Juventus earlier in the week. It’s going to be an interesting match, and one well worth paying close attention to with both teams set for the Champions League this season.
Tottenham vs. Atletico Madrid 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch International Champions Cup online
The last International Champions Cup to be played in Australia is almost here, with Tottenham Hotspur hoping to pick up a win over Atlético Madrid.
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This is Atlético’s second preseason match of the summer, the first being a 2-0 friendly win against Numancia last weekend. Even though the ICC is really a friendly tournament, adding some sort of stakes to the match for the Spanish side would be good -- Diego Simeone always manages to find ways to make his team play better and better the higher the stakes get. How they play and how Tottenham respond to that will be a major indicator as to just how ready the two teams are for the upcoming season, not to mention a chance to see two very talented teams who rarely get to face each other in action.
Fun Atlético Madrid player to watch: Sime Vrsaljko
Vrsaljko is Atleti’s newest right back, and the young Croatian will be battling with Juanfran for the starting job. He’s never been one to back down from a challenge, though, and despite Juanfran’s experience and quality, Vrsaljko is going to fight like crazy to earn that place. That’s always fun to watch, especially when it’s a young and hungry player like Vrsaljko putting in the effort. He has the ability to put on a show on his flank at both ends of the pitch, and this should be a match where he can really, really shine.
Fun Tottenham Hotspur player to watch: DeAndre Yedlin
The USMNT right back may be a key figure for his national team, but at Tottenham he’s a player on the fringes trying to earn his place. He did very well with Sunderland last season on loan, but with Sam Allardyce leaving for the England managerial post he doesn’t have a place to go back to there. He needs to take whatever opportunity he can muster in this match and run with it in order to earn a job, be it with the Spurs or someone else. U.S. fans know he has the talent to get the job done, but his lack of consistency might just hold him back.
Match Date/Time: Friday, 6:05 a.m. ET, 8 p.m. local
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
TV: ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), La Sexta (Spain), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.), Nine Network (Australia)
Online: ESPN3, WatchESPN (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
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