EPL clubs West Ham and Crystal Palace set to feature in a three-team tournament with Brisbane Roar
Brisbane and Townsville have been pencilled in as venues with two of London’s biggest Premier League clubs set to come to Australia to feature in a three-team tournament with Brisbane Roar.
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A billion dollars worth of English Premier League talent is headed to Queensland in July, with London clubs West Ham and Crystal Palace set to play in a three-team tournament also involving Brisbane Roar.
Final negotiations are taking place between the three clubs, the tournament organisers and the state government, with an announcement understood to be imminent.
News Corp Australia has learnt three matches will be played, with at least two venues – Suncorp Stadium and Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium – to be used.
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Teams will play each other once, with the West Ham-Crystal Palace game set to take place at Suncorp Stadium.
Townsville is tipped to host the match between the Roar and Palace, while the venue for the Roar-West Ham clash is unknown.
Queensland last hosted matches involving Premier League clubs in July 2015.
Liverpool beat the Roar 2-1 at a packed Suncorp Stadium, while the following night Manchester City defeated Melbourne City 1-0 at Robina’s Cbus Super Stadium.
Despite having a squad with a net market value of more than $621 million, West Ham may no longer be a Premier League club by July.
The Hammers - whose side includes two-time Premier League winner Pablo Zabaleta, classy Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson and Argentine attacking weapon Manuel Lanzini - are currently in a relegation dogfight, having won just six of 27 matches this season.
Their coach, David Moyes, was in charge of Everton when the Toffees beat an Ange Postecoglou-coached Roar side 2-1 for the Translink Cup at Suncorp Stadium in July 2010.
Former Socceroos to have played for West Ham include Lucas Neill, Robbie Slater, Stan Lazaridis and Richard Garcia.
Crystal Palace – whose former players include Socceroos stalwarts Craig Moore and Mile Jedinak – were in 13th place on the ladder going into this weekend’s round of Premier League matches.
Coached by former England manager Roy Hodgson, the Palace squad has a market value of more than $387 million and includes the likes of former Manchester United striker Wilfried Zaha, ex-Liverpool forward Christian Benteke and former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.
The Palace squad could also include some new talent, with Hodgson last week saying his likely contract extension was on the proviso that Palace’s owners would provide money for him to bolster his playing roster.
“If I am going to stay it will be because I believe that the funds will be made available, because we have had the intention to improve the squad for a while now,” Hodgson told the football.london website.
Originally published as EPL clubs West Ham and Crystal Palace set to feature in a three-team tournament with Brisbane Roar