In a huge sporting moment for Melbourne and football in Australia, global football powerhouse Manchester United is to return to Melbourne to play two matches this July in front of a 100,000-capacity MCG.
The legendary club, which boasts the joint-record number of top-flight trophies in English football, will travel to Melbourne to play matches against A-League side Melbourne Victory and, for the first time ever in Australia, Premier League team Crystal Palace FC.
Manchester United last played in Melbourne in 1999 when the Trebel-winning squad defeated the Socceroos 2-0 at the MCG. The iconic stadium will transform into a sea of red again this winter, as Melbourne welcomes United back to town.
Melbourne Victory will take on Manchester United at the MCG on Friday July 15 at 8:10pm, 2022 before United plays Crystal Palace on Tuesday July 19, at 8:05pm 2022.
United’s pre-season tour begins on the eve of the 2022/23 Premier League season which has been brought forward to the start of August due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Pre-season matches are critical to the preparation for the 2022/23 Premier League season with organisers expecting Manchester United and Crystal Palace to field their strongest available teams. This will be Crystal Palace’s first tour to Australia, after two Covid related postponements, with further pre-season fixtures to be announced in mid April.
Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie said this is a great opportunity for the Club and for the League. “This will be Melbourne Victory’s biggest international friendly since our game against Liverpool FC, in July of 2013, which attracted over 95,000 to the MCG,” Carnegie said.“We are excited to get the opportunity to test our squad against the Premier League giant and to do this in front of a passionate home crowd.”
Crystal Palace F.C. Chairman Steve Parish said: “We are absolutely delighted to be visiting Australia for the first time in the club’s history, even more so following our two planned trips in recent pre-seasons being cancelled due to Covid.
It will be fantastic to finally witness Crystal Palace play in Australia, and to do so at the iconic MCG in front of our Australian fans and strong travelling support is something the entire squad and staff, led by Patrick Vieira, are excited about. We intend to announce additional fixtures in the coming weeks, to enable our supporters to make travel arrangements in good time.”
“Pre-season tours are such an important part of the squad’s preparation for the season ahead, so it’s crucial to have excellent training facilities and high-quality opposition. We’re delighted that we’ll have both these things during our visit to Melbourne, and we’re looking forward to playing in front of our international fans, for the first time in a number of years.”
Manchester United Chief Operating Officer, Collette Roche, said:
“It has been two years since the club has been able to travel on an international pre-season tour, so we can’t wait to get going and reconnect with our fans in Australasia.
“Our matches in Melbourne will be a wonderful opportunity for international fans to see their favourite players up-close in an exciting schedule of games.”
TEG Sport and Left Field Live are very proud to be bringing Manchester United back to Melbourne as part of the Club’s Tour 2022, working alongside the Victorian Government and Visit Victoria to continue to drive big sporting events to Melbourne and Australia.
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