The reigning Serie A champions take on the Bundesliga titlists at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the early hours of Thursday, the first of four stateside pre-season friendlies for Juventus.

However, due to Ronaldo featuring for his country in the World Cup, he, along with his fellow internationals, have been granted an extended summer break, with the 33-year-old not due to report for preseason training until next week.

Consequently, the Evening Standard reports, CR7 may make his Bianconeri bow when Juventus take on their own B side at Villar Perosa on August 12. It was a date the former Real Madrid star had previously earmarked as when his ‘season starts’.

Juve are the slim 43/20 underdogs with Novibet Sports for their Bayern clash, while some oddsmakers have them 8/13 odds-on favourites to once again top Serie A in 2018/19; highlighting the potential impact of Ronaldo’s involvement in the side.

The Old Lady formally kick off their title defence on August 19, with the Serie A fixture list still to be finalised. The hope is that Ronaldo, despite being in the twilight years of his storied career, will justify his £99.2 million price tag and lead Juventus to glory both domestically and in Europe. With his club medical showing his fitness to be comparable to that of a 20-year-old, it’d take a brave man to bet against Cristiano doing just that.

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Los Blancos‘ Champions League final triumph over Atletico Madrid helped to blunt some of the pain that came with watching the club’s crosstown rivals—Atletico—win the league.

Winning that 10th European crown had become an obsession at the Santiago Bernabeu, and now that it’s over, a sense of normalcy can return.

Preseason friendlies will offer players a chance to put the Champions League win in the rear-view mirror and shift their focus to the 2014/15 campaign. Bringing home one league title in six years is a bona fide drought for Real Madrid, so that will be at the top of the checklist for next year.

REAL MADRID’s 2014/15 PRE SEASON  SCHEDULE

By taking part in the International Champions Cup, Real Madrid are continuing to grow their brand in the United States. They’re already one of the most lucrative brands in world football, but overseas tours like this one ensure that they remain relevant for the newer generations of football fans.

The U.S. will also be riding a wave of momentum from the World Cup. Thousands of American fans will turn up to watch Los Blancos take on Manchester United, Roma and Inter Milan. Some of those fans may be watching club football for the first time.

Watching stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric is a great way to get hooked on the game.

The International Champions Cup will be a big moneymaker for the defending champions, but their more important matchup may come against Fiorentina. That friendly comes right before the Spanish Super Cup and will give players one more opportunity to gain match fitness before the important stuff begins.

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