REAL MADRID
2016/17 Real Madrid pre-season gets underway on Saturday
Keylor, Casilla, Yáñez, Carvajal, Danilo, Varane, Casemiro, Nacho, Marcelo, Jesé, Isco and Benzema will start the first phase of preparation.
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Sergio Ramos lifted the Champions League trophy in Milan on May 28 with the title celebration a day later at the Bernabeu. As of Monday May 30 the Real Madrid first team squad have been on holiday.
Saturday next (July 16) some 48 days later, the first group of players are set to commence 2016/17 pre-season at Valdebebas. The first gathering of players will feature those who played no role in this summer's Euro 2016 tournament or the Copa America and the likes of Keylor Navas, Kiko Casilla, Yáñez, Carvajal, Danilo, Varane, Casemiro, Nacho, Marcelo, Jesé, Asensio, Isco and Karim Benzema will be among the first group to report for duty at the club's training complex.
This group will be augmented with Real Madrid Castilla players: Mariano, Enzo Zidane, Marcos Llorente and Norwegian teenager Odegaard.
Keylor and Danilo will have specific training programs tailor-made for them as both players are recovering from operations and as previously reported Portuguese defender Fabio Coentrao is also called to report back though a serious muscular injury will ensure that he plays no first team football until October/November this year.
The squad will travel to Montreal on Sunday and on July 23 the group will be complemented with the arrival of Euro 2016 players: Ramos, Lucas Vázquez, Morata, Modric and Kovacic. Colombia's James Rodriguez will also join that squad on the 23rd. On July 31 it's anticipated that Kroos, Bale, Cristiano and Pepe complete the group.
Madrid will play three friendly matches during their time in North America as part of the International Champions Cup with games against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
The first game will take place on 28 July at 1:30am CET (27 July, 7:30pm local time) against PSG at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus. On 30 July Zidane's men face Chelsea, at 9pm CET (3pm local time) at the Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor. Bayern Munich are the third opponents in a match to be held on August 4 at 1:30am CET (3 August, 7:30pm local time) in the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Madrid then return to Europe where they face Sevilla on August 9 in the UEFA Supercup in Norway.