Preview: Manchester United vs. Borussia Dortmund
Manchester United will conclude their pre-season tour of the United States with a contest against German giants Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
The Red Devils will enter the non-competitive encounter off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid, while Dortmund thumped San Diego Loyal 6-0 in their fourth friendly of the summer on Thursday.
Man United have now played five friendlies this summer, beating Leeds United and Lyon in their opening two games of the summer in Oslo and Edinburgh respectively before heading to the USA for their pre-season tour.
The 20-time English champions recorded a 2-0 win over Arsenal in their opening game in the United States, before an academy side suffered a 3-1 defeat to League Two outfit Wrexham on Tuesday night.
The first team were back in action on Wednesday evening in Texas, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid, with Jude Bellingham making the breakthrough before Joselu netted a second for Carlo Ancelotti’s team late on.
Man United will now face Dortmund in their final match of the tour before heading back to Europe for friendlies against Lens and Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and Sunday next weekend.
Erik ten Hag’s side will then begin their 2023-24 Premier League campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 14, and the club will hope to have at least one more signing through the door by that stage, with an official bid now believed to have been lodged for Atalanta BC’s Rasmus Hojlund.
Mason Mount and Andre Onana have arrived at Old Trafford this summer from Chelsea and Inter Milan respectively, but Man United’s need for a centre-forward was clearly shown against Real Madrid, with Ten Hag reiterating the importance of a signing in that area of the field.
Not too much can be read into pre-season results, but Dortmund have been in excellent form, winning all four of their friendly matches this summer, scoring 18 times in the process.
Edin Terzic’s side were last in action on Thursday evening, recording a 6-0 win over San Diego Loyal, with Marco Reus and Sebastien Haller among the goalscorers in the impressive success.
Dortmund came so close to winning the Bundesliga last season, losing out on the final day to Bayern Munich, but they certainly have the talent to challenge again in the 2023-24 campaign, especially as three smart signings have been made in the shape of Felix Nmecha, Marcel Sabitzer and Ramy Bensebaini.
BVB’s main outgoing has been Bellingham, with the England international moving to Real Madrid, and there is no getting away from the fact that his departure is a huge blow for the club.
Dortmund are looking ahead, though, and they have three more friendlies this summer against Man United, Chelsea and Ajax before facing Schott Mainz in the first round of the DFB Pokal on August 12, which comes seven days before their Bundesliga opener against Koln.
Manchester United friendly form:
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Borussia Dortmund friendly form:
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We say: Manchester United 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Both managers will view this match as vital in terms of their preparations for the new season, and we are expecting it to be a high-quality affair. Neither manager will be too concerned about the result, but Man United will want to recover from their loss to Real Madrid, and we can see the Red Devils shading this one.