La Liga giants Atletico Madrid are the final club confirmed for July’s International Champions Cup in Melbourne.
Diego Simeone’s side join Italian giants Juventus, EPL club Tottenham and Hyundai A-League outfit Melbourne Victory in the four club pre-season tournament at the MCG.
“The team and I can’t wait to come and play in Melbourne and visit a country as exciting as Australia, sharing with the fans its passion for football,” Simeone said on Atletico’s website.
“It’s fantastic to be part of such a high calibre tournament with some of the best teams in Europe and the A-League’s most successful side, Melbourne Victory.
“This competition will form a key part of our pre-season training and will be a great opportunity for me to put my players through their paces ahead of the new season.”
Atletico, who beat City rivals Real Madrid 1-0 in the derby over the weekend, boasts and talent-laden squad.
It features the likes of French whiz Antoine Griezmann, Spanish striker Fernando Torres [who is on loan from AC Milan], Tiago Mendes and Spanish midfielder Koke.
The tournament will open with Victory taking on Juventus on July 23, before the Italian giants clash with Tottenham three nights later.
Then Spurs and Atletico conclude the tournament on July 29, with all games played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Atletico are currently second in La Liga, eight points behind runaway leaders Barcelona, and are still involved in the UEFA Champions League, while both Juve and Spurs are in line to win their domestic titles.
This will be the second successive year the ICC has come to Australia, with last year’s event featuring Real Madrid, Manchester City and Roma.
