Manchester United will travel to the Strawberry Arena in Sweden on Saturday to take on Atletico Madrid in their third preseason fixture of the summer. The last time they were there, the Red Devils had an underwhelming goalless draw against Leeds United.
Michael Carrick’s side is currently 1-1 this summer, following a 1-0 loss to Wrexham and a 5-0 rout against Rosenborg. Slowly but surely, the Red Devils are coming together, as they prepare for their 2026-27 Premier League campaign, where they’ll try to defy the Premier League 2026 odds to outdo their third-place finish.
Atletico Madrid are also preparing for their La Liga campaign, and they just won their first club friendly this preseason, giving them momentum ahead of this weekend. Last term, Los Rojiblancos finished fourth in the Spanish top-flight standings.
This is one of the high-profile club friendlies this week, and SBOTOP has you covered with the latest Premier League 2026 updates.
Manchester United have no recognizable right-back
Manchester United have been using the preseason to give their youngsters a run, and such a trend should continue this weekend, as they will remain without their World Cup stars. This has been most noticeable at right-back, as Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui will remain absent.
Head coach Michael Carrick has opted to start Leny Yoro at right-back against Wrexham and Rosenborg, and the Frenchman has done well thus far. This has allowed Carrick to deploy Ayden Heaven and Harry Maguire at centre-half, which is a fine pairing. Yoro is determined to bounce back after failing to impress this past season and not getting called up for the World Cup. Perhaps this is his way to force himself into the starting XI because he’s giving Carrick a new tactical tweak.
The other recognisable right-back on the travelling squad is Jaydan Kamason, who has earned a lot of admirers at Old Trafford. The 19-year-old Englishman is hoping to stay injury-free this season for a chance to push for a place in the senior team. He has excelled so far this preseason, registering two assists in Friday’s 5-0 win over Rosenborg.
Another youngster Manchester United fans are hoping to see is JJ Gabriel. The 15-year-old striker has yet to play for the Red Devils this preseason, but at least he’s training with the senior squad.
Several Manchester United players up for sale
Manchester United are also using this preseason to boost the value of some of their players who are reportedly on the chopping block. According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are open to selling Radek Vitek, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, and Joshua Zirkzee.
All of them have played in the Red Devils’ first two club friendlies against Wrexham and Rosenborg, with Zirkzee among the goalscorers against Rosenborg. They’ve had a difficult time finding minutes in the senior squad this past season, with Vitek, Amass, Collyer, and Gore going out on loan, while Zirkzee served as Benjamin Sesko’s backup.
Vitek wants to be the No. 1 goalkeeper, but he is unlikely to usurp Senne Lammens, and he has attracted interest from Middlesbrough. Amass is also unlikely to usurp Patrick Dorgu, and it doesn’t help that Manchester United are planning to pry Lewis Hall (also a left-back) away from Newcastle United.
Collyer and Gore are young midfielders who can help certain teams out there, and they’re behind Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Mason Mount, and Kobbie Mainoo in the pecking order. Furthermore, Zirkzee has been linked to Ajax and Juventus – who plan to partner him with Randal Kolo Muani and Jonathan David after Dusan Vlahovic’s departure.
Atletico Madrid fresh rout against La Liga counterpart
Atletico Madrid opened their preseason with a bang, following a 4-2 victory over Getafe yesterday. The closed-doors match was held at Atleti’s Cerro del Espino training complex in the Majadahonda suburb of Madrid.
Ademola Lookman notched a brace in the first half before youngsters Arnau Ortiz and Obed Vargas added two more after halftime against a largely Getafe B team. Carlos Martin, Morten Hjulmand, Jorge Dominguez, and Rodri Mendoza also received plaudits for their solid performances.
Pablo Barrios and Thomas Lemar were the only first-team players who didn’t receive call-ups for this game, prompting immediate concerns that Barrios had re-injured himself. Muscular injuries hampered Barrios in 2025-26, which stopped him from going to the World Cup to play for La Roja.
Meanwhile, Koke and Jan Oblak were back on the field together, and the two veterans are set to play their 13th season together at Atleti. Both of them are entering the final two years of their current contracts.
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