Tony Kelshaw 
Bayern Munich won three of the first four Audi Cup tournaments and will be looking to make up for a poor showing when it was last held a couple of years ago. Turkish outfit Fenerbahce should receive strong support at the Allianz Arena but look out of their depth at this level, on all known evidence.
Real Madrid have had to endure a very rocky pre-season campaign and look worth taking on against Tottenham at the Audi Cup in Germany. The Whites were thrashed 7-3 by city rivals Atletico in New Jersey on Friday and could still be shell-shocked from that International Champions Cup performance.
PSV face a tough test when visiting Basel in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier but are rated too good to go out at this stage. The Dutch outfit fired in a couple of late strikes when securing a slender 3-2 advantage on home turf and can finish the job off in Switzerland.
Celtic will take a comfortable 5-0 lead over Nomme Kalju to Estonia for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier. However, the Hoops may now have one eye on Saturday’s Scottish Premiership opener against St Johnstone, so that could allow their hosts to at least be more competitive.
Benfica have already claimed two International Champions Cup victories, but AC Milan may now give them a tougher test in Foxborough. The Rossoneri should strip fitter for a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich and Marco Giampaolo will be keen to take something out of this second contest.
Benfica were competitive in last season’s International Champions Cup and got off to a flying start this term when beating Guadalajara 3-0 in California. Fiorentina had previously edged out the Mexican side 2-1 in Illinois, but then had their limitations exposed in a 3-0 Charlotte loss to Arsenal.
Arsenal’s youngsters have exceeded expectations at the International Champions Cup but may be brought back down to earth by Real Madrid. The Whites will have a big following in Washington and could do with a boost in morale after losing to Bayern Munich in their opening contest.
Bayern Munich have the benefit of already playing twice in the International Champions Cup and that can help them see off AC Milan in Kansas City. The German giants lost 2-1 to Arsenal but then improved greatly from that outing when beating Real Madrid 3-1 in front of over 60,000 fans in Houston.
Viktoria Plzen acquitted themselves pretty well in last season’s Champions League group stage and could give Olympiakos a decent test in the Czech Republic. However, their Greek opponents have a great record in European qualifiers, being unbeaten in their last 10 such fixtures.
Senegal got the nod in our pre-tournament Africa Cup of Nations preview, but Algeria have already beaten them 1-0 during the pool stage in Egypt. With both teams coming through dramatic semi-final victories, everything points towards this being another close encounter in our book.
Arsenal and Fiorentina both opened their International Champions Cup campaigns with 2-1 victories and could be evenly matched when they meet in Charlotte. The Gunners got the better of Bayern Munich in Los Angeles, while La Viola came from behind to shade Mexican side Guadalajara.
Rangers had to be patient when taking on St Joseph’s in Gibraltar but will be looking to get on top much earlier in the second leg of their Europa League qualifier. The first encounter was goalless at the interval, but Steven Gerrard’s side then managed to cut loose after the break to win 4-0.
Kilmarnock were given a fright when visiting Connah’s Quay in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier and will be looking for a smoother ride at Rugby Park. Killie had to come from behind to snatch a late 2-1 triumph in Wales but should now be able to ease through to the next stage.
Bayern Munich should be more fired up than they would be for most pre-season matches when facing Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup. The German giants have been knocked out of the Champions League by their Spanish opponents three times in the last six years.