Manchester City faces Atlético Madrid in Seoul pre-season friendly

Manchester City and Atlético Madrid played a pre-season friendly in Seoul on August 9, with both teams fielding squad rotations due to World Cup recovery absences. The match served as final preparation for City's Community Shield against Arsenal and Atlético's La Liga opener against Málaga.

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Pre-season friendly match
Manchester City concludes Asian tour
Both teams prepare for competitive season start
Squad rotation due to World Cup recovery
Final match before Community Shield (City) and La Liga opener (Atlético)

Manchester City concluded their Asian pre-season tour with a friendly against Atlético Madrid at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The match marked the final preparation for both clubs before their competitive seasons begin. Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca fielded a lineup including Rubén Días as captain, Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, and Omar Marmoush, while Atlético Madrid under Diego Simeone included new signing Lee Kang-in from Paris Saint-Germain and midfielder Morten Hjulmand from Sporting CP.

Both teams operated with significantly depleted squads due to post-World Cup recovery periods. Manchester City was without star forward Erling Haaland, midfielder Rodri (recovering from back surgery), and several World Cup participants including Rayan Cherki, Marc Guéhi, and Elliot Anderson. Atlético Madrid similarly missed numerous senior players including Julián Álvarez, Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone, Álex Baena, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Alexander Sørloth, all still on post-World Cup breaks.

The friendly served as important preparation with different timing implications for each club. Manchester City would face Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff on August 16 before beginning their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on August 23. Atlético Madrid's La Liga season would commence against Málaga on August 19, with another pre-season friendly scheduled against Marseille before that opener.

City came into the match on a positive run, having defeated the K-League All Stars 3–1 in their previous tour fixture after drawing 1–1 with Inter Milan. Atlético Madrid, by contrast, had lost 2–1 to Manchester United in their last pre-season match, following an earlier 4–1 victory over Getafe. The encounter represented a high-profile test for both European heavyweights in their respective preparations.

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#Atlético Madrid #Premier League #Community Shield #Arsenal #friendly match #Enzo Maresca #Seoul World Cup Stadium #Seoul #Manchester City #pre-season friendly

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Both Premier League and La Liga clubs used the fixture to test squad depth ahead of competitive seasons. Manchester City prepares for the Community Shield (August 16) and Premier League opener against Bournemouth (August 23); Atlético Madrid faces La Liga's opening match against Málaga (August 19). Squad absences due to post-World Cup recovery—including Haaland and Rodri for City, Álvarez and Sørloth for Atlético—meant both teams fielded significantly reduced rosters, making the match a calibration point for available personnel rather than a full-strength test.

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