Real Madrid have kicked off the 2019/2020 season today by returning for their annual medical check-ups ahead of the North American tour. Manager Zinedine Zidane, his revamped coaching staff, and squad will fly to Montreal, Canada at 2pm CEST Tuesday.
According to AS, 21* players are expected to make the trip. Notably absent are Fede Valverde, Casemiro, and Eder Militão (Copa América); Dani Ceballos and Jesus Vallejo (Euro U-21); and Luca Zidane (pending loan). [Update: official squad list]
Both Keylor Navas and Isco will miss the team flight. Keylor will fly to Canada from Costa Rica, and Isco should be joining the team there after the birth of his second child.
* Luca, Keylor, and Isco are included in the article’s initial list of 24 first team players, but they will not be traveling with the team for reasons listed above.
The team should land in Montreal at 10pm CEST (4pm locally) and will set up training camp at Montreal’s Centre Nutrilait through July 19 to prepare for the International Champions Cup. This is the second time the club have used this facility, with the first being in 2016. The Ritz Carlton will be the team’s hotel during their stay in Canada.
Summer Calendar (all times CEST)
- Jul 9-19: Training camp | Centre Nutrilait (Montreal)
- Jul 21: 2am | ICC at Bayern | NRG Stadium (Houston)
- Jul 24: 1am | ICC vs Arsenal | FedEx Field (Landover)
- Jul 27: 1:30am | ICC vs Atleti | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford) - Jul 30: 6pm | Audi Cup SF vs Tottenham | Allianz Arena (Munich) - Jul 31: TBD | Audi Cup Final/3rd place vs Fenerbahçe/Bayern | (Munich)
- Aug 18: TBD | La Liga MD1 at Celta Vigo | Balaídos (Vigo)
The Trofeo Bernabéu will probably be postponed until December due to stadium renovations.
Casemiro: ("I'm very happy to win this trophy! But it's not just mine, it's thanks to the effort of the whole team. We're in the semi-finals! We're going to fight for everything. For the league, for the #UCL, we can do it. All together, both are so important to us. Big hug!") | April 14, 2021.