Manchester United will face Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Australian outfit Melbourne Victory as part of their pre-season tour of Australia and the Middle East, it has been announced.
United, who beat Palace 1-0 in Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge back in December, will lock horns with Patrick Vieira's side on Tuesday, July 19 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, kicking off 11:10am UK time. The iconic stadium can house up to 100,000 supporters, meaning it promises to be an exciting event for all involved.
Before facing Palace, United are set to face Liverpool in the Thai capital of Bangkok a week earlier on Tuesday, July 12. The contest is set to be officially confirmed in a press conference in the Thai city today [Thursday].
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This summer's pre-season tour — which will be United's first since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic — is poised to consist of three separate fixtures, two of which will take place in Australia. However, United are yet to confirm their official plans, with a schedule set to be released in due course.
But they will face Melbourne Victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Friday, July 15, just days before facing Palace. The Australian club have confirmed that the fixture has been pencilled in for a 11:10am kick-off time as well (UK time).
On hosting United, Melbourne Victory head coach Tony Popovic said: "It's a fantastic game to showcase a club like Manchester United in our country, it's a great opportunity to showcase our Club, Melbourne Victory, to the world and a chance for our members and fans to see a special organisation and a club with such a big history."
United visited Australia three years ago and played two games in Perth, including one against arch rivals Leeds United. The Reds won 4-0 thanks to goals from Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Phil Jones and Anthony Martial.
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