Australian football fans will be treated to a major friendly fixture when English Premier League icons Manchester United and Crystal Palace take centre stage at the MCG.
Manchester United will take part in two friendly fixtures later this year, starting with a clash against A-League side Melbourne Victory on Friday, July 15.
Then four days later on July 19, the Red Devils will face EPL rivals Crystal Palace.
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Both fixtures are scheduled to take place at Victoria’s MCG.
“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,” Manchester United’s chief operating officer Collette Roche said.
The last time Manchester United toured Australia was in 2019 when they defeated Perth Glory 2-0, as well Leeds United 4-0.
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish said his club was thrilled to make history with its first visit to Australia.
“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 postponed due to COVID,” Parish said.
“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.”
The Victorian government said the fixtures would provide the state with a giant boost into its local economy.
“Manchester United playing at the MCG will be a major drawcard to attract visitors to Melbourne and encourage locals to head into the city for the games,” minister for employment Jaala Pulford said.
“The tour is set to attract tens of thousands of visitors to the city, supporting jobs across our tourism, events and hospitality sectors.
“This is a great opportunity to see one of the world’s greatest sporting teams play in Melbourne – the nation’s sporting capital.”
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