- Title: SOCCER-INTER/REAL PREPS Inter Milan, Real Madrid prepare for friendly in China
- Date: 26th July 2015
- Summary: GUANGZHOU CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA (JULY 26, 2015) (REUTERS) INTER MILAN TRAINING AT GUANGZHOU'S TIANHE SPORTS CENTRE MANAGER ROBERTO MANCINI GESTURING VARIOUS OF PLAYERS TRAINING DEFENDER MARCO ANDREOLLI STANDING UP STRAIGHT PLAYERS STARTING TO RUN NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTER MILAN MANAGER, ROBERTO MANCINI, SAYING: "After all, it's normal that in th
- Embargoed: 10th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA9RCHP2YX9RJ8MPVVY29YAH71F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Real Madrid and Inter Milan will test their pre-season strength in southern China on Monday (July 27) in a friendly match.
Both teams have been touring Asia for the past weeks - the Spanish powerhouse has thrashed Manchester City 4-1 in a friendly in Melbourne but lost to Roma 7-6 in a penalty shoot-out in the same city.
Inter lost both its pre-season competitions 1-0 in China, to German champions Bayern Munich and by the same scoreline to bitter rivals AC Milan.
Inter's manager, Roberto Mancini, said at a pre-match news conference in Guangzhou city on Sunday (July 26) night that Real could be the stronger team at the moment, but the important thing would be for the Nerazzurri to learn from the experience and improve for the start of Serie A.
"After all, it's normal that in this game you could lose, because maybe Real Madrid at this moment is better than us. But I think also for the player, it's fantastic to play against a team like them. And for this reason we want to play good football tomorrow, also if in the end we can lose, but this is not important. I repeat, it's important that the team continues to improve our game," Mancini said.
Meanwhile, Real's new manager Rafael Benitez said he's happy about the team's progress in the weeks leading up to the stage of La Liga.
"In terms of the preparation, we are where we wanted to be. So the training sessions in Australia has been fantastic, the team was training really well, very good, high intensity, commitment, everything. So now because we still have some time, I think we are fine, we will see what happen until the beginning of the season, but I think we are fine," Benitez said.
Responding to a question whether midfield youngsters Isco and James Rodriguez play too similar of a role in the team, Benitez said no.
"It is not conflicting to have both Isco and (James) Rodriguez in the team. I hope my team will have all sorts of fantastic players. So I think both their presence is very good and very important to Real Madrid," Benitez said.
Real's defender, Pepe, said on speculation over his contract renewal that he hopes to continue to play for the club.
"I'm very happy at Madrid. I've made my intentions clear to the president and my agent is working on it so that I can remain here for a few more years. I hope the season to come will be a good one," Pepe said.
The two teams will face off on Monday (July 27) at 2000 local time (1200GMT) for the International Champions Cup. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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