International Champions Cup Preview: Juventus v LA Galaxy

Juventus will be out to recover from a surprise defeat to Everton when they face LA Galaxy in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.

Antonio Conte’s men were defeated on penalties by the Premier League club following a 1-1 draw in normal time on Wednesday, and can now only achieve a fifth-place finish in the tournament at best.

That is unlikely to be the primary target on Conte’s mind however, with the focus sure to be on the Serie A champions’ preparations for the new season.

Juventus will be heavy favourites for the clash with the American outfit, with the onus on new signings Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente to deliver goals, after failing to do so against a stubborn Everton side.

Paul Pogba could feature for Juventus after linking up with the squad for the game at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles.

Galaxy will be expected to have the support of the home crowd though, and head into the contest with something to build on following a respectable performance against Real Madrid on Thursday.

Bruce Arena’s men were eventually seen off 3-1 by the Liga club, but not before Jose Villarreal had given the MLS club hope with a superb strike after 63 minutes to cut the deficit to 2-1 before Karim Benzema’s late settler.

The 19-year-old was delighted to have found the net against high-profile opposition and is hoping to continue his fine form.

“It was a good finish, I’ve been lacking in scoring goals lately so I was happy to get one back,” said Villarreal.

“It’ll be positive for me and, hopefully, I can move forward from there.”

The winner of the match will play either Valencia or Inter in the fifth-place play-off next Tuesday.