Chelsea will continue to ease in Maurizio Sarri with an International Champions Cup clash against Inter Milan in Nice and can give their new boss another boost. The Blues beat Perth Glory 1-0 in Sarri’s first game in charge and are fancied to build on that by coming out on top again at Allianz Riviera.
New Arsenal boss Unai Emery will face his former club PSG in the International Champions Cup and we’re hoping for an honourable stalemate in Singapore. These teams drew both matches when meeting in the Champions League group stage a couple of seasons ago, so more of the same here would suit us nicely.
Arsenal look well placed to avenge last season’s Europa League loss to Atletico Madrid when they meet in the International Champions Cup in Singapore. Unai Emery will be keen to make an instant impression with the Gunners, while Diego Simeone must do without key players not back from World Cup duty.
Roma shaded a thrilling encounter with Tottenham in last year’s International Champions Cup and get the nod to come out on top again in San Diego. The Italians have taken a strong squad to America, whereas Spurs rest nine players who featured in the World Cup semi-finals.
Bayern Munich warmed up for their trip to the USA by beating PSG 3-1 in Klagenfurt on Saturday and can build on that with a win over Juventus in Philadelphia. The Old Lady will not yet be able to call on major new recruit Cristiano Ronaldo as they also begin life without Gianluigi Buffon.
Celtic all-but guaranteed their place in the second Champions League qualifying round after a commanding 3-0 win over Alashkert in Yerevan. Goals from Odsonne Edouard, James Forrest and Callum McGregor wrapped up a victory which should be enough for them to progress.
Austria have claimed a couple of notable scalps in World Cup warm-up matches but may meet their match when facing Brazil in Vienna. The Selecao have never tasted defeat in nine head-to-head meetings, securing wins in six of those past encounters.
South Korea and Senegal have both struggled in World Cup warm-up matches but the timing of this clash may give the Asian outfit an edge. The Lions of Teranga lost 2-1 to Croatia only on Friday and their strength in depth will be stretched with such a quick turn-around.
Belgium complete their World Cup preparations by taking on Costa Rica in Brussels and are fancied to enjoy a smooth success. The Red Devils impressed when beating Egypt 3-0 on Wednesday, whereas Los Ticos may need more time to adapt to European conditions judged on Thursday’s 2-0 loss to England.
France will be seeking a third quick win in World Cup warm-up matches when hosting the USA in Lyon and should be up to achieving that feat. Les Bleus have already seen off the Republic of Ireland 2-0 and Italy 3-1 in the last couple of weeks.
Spain will be keen to make a statement of intent when facing Tunisia in Krasnodar, six days before taking on Portugal in their World Cup opener. La Roja are among the favourites to claim outright glory at Russia 2018, following a couple of disappointing efforts at the last two major tournaments.
Denmark and Mexico have found goals hard to come by in World Cup warm-up matches and a tight tussle is expected when they meet in Brondby. Both teams have netted just once in their last three international friendlies as preparations continue for Russia 2018.
Peru have put together a strong set of results in World Cup warm-up matches and may be good value to get the better of Sweden in Gothenburg. Los Incas have rattled off four straight wins in international friendlies this year, scoring 10 times and conceding only once.
Switzerland have only lost once in 12 games since the start of last year and are worthy favourites to edge out Japan on home turf in Friday’s World Cup warm-up match. The Samurai Blue have been far from impressive in recent friendlies, including last week’s 2-0 loss to Ghana in Yokohama.