Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid
Manchester City will continue their Asian tour this week as part of their ongoing preseason preparations. Following their short trip from Hong Kong last Saturday, where they lost to Inter Milan on penalties, the Sky Blues beat the K League All-Stars 3-1 on Wednesday to return to winning ways in South Korea.
Their next and final Club Friendly is against Atletico Madrid on Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. After this, Enzo Maresca’s men will commence their 2026-27 campaign against Arsenal for the FA Community Shield before their first Premier League home game against Bournemouth.
After opening their preseason with a 4-1 victory over Getafe in a closed-door affair, Atletico Madrid lost 2-1 against Manchester United last weekend at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Los Rojiblancos will fittingly wrap up their preseason against another Manchester-based side before they open their La Liga campaign with a home match against Malaga.
The Club Friendly 2026 odds predict a close game, as SBOTOP football fans will get their usual dose of Club Friendly 2026 highlights.
Talking Points
Rodri uncertainty is not helping Manchester City
Manchester City have been among the busiest teams in the summer window, as they’ve parted ways with John Stones, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva, Manuel Akanji, and James Trafford to acquire Elliot Anderson and Jeremy Monga. Another subject in the transfer rumour mill is Rodri, who has one year left on his current contract.
Rodri has yet to play for the Sky Blues this preseason after leading Spain to their second World Cup triumph last month. However, there’s a chance he might not even suit up at all for them this year. Once linked to a move to Real Madrid, the 30-year-old midfielder has recently been linked to a sensational transfer to Barcelona, whom he reportedly prefers to play with. Rodri should serve as an immediate replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who’s out for the start of the campaign due to a knee injury.
Amid the Rodri chatter, head coach Enzo Maresca will continue to rely on Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders, and Phil Foden to man the middle of the park, with Nico Gonzalez and Claudio Echeverri as options. Over the past few games, some of their youngsters have been playing significant minutes, namely Stephen Mfuni, Ryan McAidoo, Kaden Braithwaite, Max Alleyne, Mahamadou Sangare, and Divin Mubama.
Among them, Mubama has shone the brightest thus far, having scored against Inter Milan and the K League All-Stars. The 21-year-old forward may have played himself into Maresca’s plans, giving the team another viable attacking option alongside Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, Antoine Semenyo, Savinho, and Jack Grealish.
Atletico Madrid taking a look at Ortiz
Academy youngsters and fringe players typically use the preseason to prove their worth to a club, and that’s what Arnau Ortiz has done this summer. The 24-year-old winger may have played himself into head coach Diego Simeone’s plans, as he has scored against Getafe and Manchester United.
Last season, Ortiz played for Atletico Madrileno in Spain’s third division, and now he could help the team fill the void left by Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada, who have left for Orlando City and River Plate, respectively. If things go according to plan, Ortiz will have the privilege to play alongside fellow frontmen Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth, Ademola Lookman, Giuliano Simeone, and Alex Baena.
South Korean football fans will also cheer for Lee Kang-In, one of their homegrown players. Atletico Madrid shelled out roughly €40 million to pry him away from PSG, and he’ll serve as one of the team’s top creative outlets in the middle of the park.
History
Saturday marks only the fourth time Manchester City and Atletico Madrid face off against each other. These two European powerhouses first squared off during the 2021-22 Champions League quarter-finals, where the Sky Blues won 1-0 on aggregate, as Kevin De Bruyne scored the lone goal of the two legs. However, Manchester City eventually lost to Real Madrid 5-6 on aggregate in the next round.
A year later, the Sky Blues and Los Rojiblancos met in a club friendly. Atletico Madrid won 2-1, as Memphis Depay and Yannick Carrasco found the back of the net in the 66th and 74th minutes before Ruben Dias scored a late consolation goal. Both teams have one win and one loss in their opening two preseason matches. There’s a huge chance Manchester City and Atletico Madrid will cross paths this upcoming season, as they’ve qualified for the Champions League after finishing second and fourth in their respective leagues last term.
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