International Champions Cup preview: final games prior to domestic campaigns set to take place

Oddshark

This coming Saturday (4 August) sees the conclusion of the International Champions Cup – the renowned elite club friendly tournament – before several domestic league seasons kick off across Europe. And all three of Italy’s biggest clubs will be in action as well as old Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Getting the ball rolling

First things first, swing by the Oddsshark website, procure your favourite betting agency and sort out your very own account with a username and password. As a new customer and with several major European leagues preparing to get underway, there should be a whole host of promotions and special offers on the table.

Where should I be investing my money?

The most intriguing clash of the day looks to be the repeat of the 2017 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus. The Spanish side prevailed 4-1 on that occasion although, as a pre-season friendly, this encounter will not be able to match the intensity.

Juventus have been consistent throughout pre-season and Real Madrid have not looked at full throttle. Nevertheless, it is the European champions Real who will come into the match as the favourites to record the win.

You can more than double your money by backing Real at a price of 2.10, with Juventus further out at 3.25. If you think the game will end in a stalemate, then you can also back that hunch at 3.60, according to Oddsshark.

Odds: Real Madrid (2.10), Juventus (3.25), draw (3.60)

Also on the agenda for this weekend is the clash between Inter Milan and French club Lyon. A draw would actually set both clubs up nicely ahead of their final matches in the friendly competition next week.

And looking at the head to head meetings between the two teams, there is absolutely nothing to split them. Inter and Lyon have met on three previous occasions, with each side winning once and the other game ending in a stalemate.

However, it is interesting to note that Inter have scored in all three previous meetings with Lyon and we could well see goals on this occasion as well. The Italians have won just one of their four pre-season matches thus far and have conceded in all of those matches, while Lyon have lost just once and won three times in pre-season to date.

Despite those stats, it is Inter who come into this match as the favourites to walk away victorious. You can again double your money by backing Inter at 2.05, while Lyon are at the higher price of 3.30 – a draw, which looks likely, is at 3.30.

And do not forget the golden rule: the more specific you are with your bets, the higher the potential rewards. Trying to predict the exact score of any game is one of the toughest asks, but a 1-1 draw in this match is priced at 7.00, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$35 pay out.

Odds: Inter Milan (2.05), Lyon (3.30), draw (3.60)

And the final match of the day sees former European champions AC Milan and Barcelona lock horns. Neither side have looked particularly convincing so far, with Milan losing both of their two games so far and Barcelona shipping four goals against Italian club AS Roma in their last outing.

Barcelona have looked threatening in the offensive third but the central defensive pairing of Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti looked frail against Roma. We could well see a hatful of goals in this match as well.

This looks like it could be an open, attacking encounter between two sides looking to sign off with a win. These two teams last met five years ago in the UEFA Champions League, with Milan securing a 1-1 draw on home soil before losing 3-1 at Camp Nou.

And while the betting odds are close this time, Barcelona are expected to win once again. The Catalan giants are priced at 2.37 to pick up the victory, with Milan not too far behind at 2.70 and a draw looking the most unlikely result at 3.60.

With both sides defences looking patch, betting on both teams to score looks a safe assumption at a price of just 1.40, while “No” to that outcome is much higher at 2.70. A 3-1 win for Barcelona – just like they managed in the Champions League half a decade ago – is priced competitively at 17.00.

Odds: Milan (2.70), Barcelona (2.37), draw (3.60)