Manchester City headed to Australia to face Real Madrid in International Champions Cup

ENGLISH Premier League heavyweights Manchester City are coming to Melbourne in July, setting up a tantalising battle against Euro giants Real Madrid.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 25: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team's third and matchwinning goal during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between Manchester City and FC Bayern Muenchen at the Etihad Stadium on November 25, 2014 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

ENGLISH Premier League heavyweights Manchester City are coming to Melbourne in July, setting up a tantalising battle against Euro giants Real Madrid.

City are the second club confirmed for the International Champions Cup (ICC), a three-team tournament to be played at the MCG.

And big guns David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure are destined for Australia, with the tournament kicking off just weeks before the 2015-16 domestic European seasons.

A third team, expected to be Inter Milan, is on the verge of being confirmed, with the MCG to host all three games on July 18, 21 and 24.

AGUERO’S ASTONISHING GOAL SCORING RECORD

Manchester City' are expected to bring their full roster of superstars to Australia.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano said the club was looking forward to visiting sister club Melbourne City.

“We are looking forward, once again, to being a part of the tournament,’’ Soriano said.

“We are particularly excited to be visiting Melbourne, which is home to our sister Club, Melbourne City FC.

“We know that it will also be a home away from home for Manchester City and we can’t wait to play in front of our Australian fans.”

Tournament organisers are confident of strong crowds, with Liverpool attracting 95,446 at the MCG in 2013.

“We look forward to making the International Champions Cup, presented by Audi, a major fixture in the Asia-Pacific region and are confident it will be a huge success in Melbourne,’’ Nine Live chief executive Geoff Jones said.

Fans wanting to snap up tickets can join the Ticketek Waitlist from Friday.

Originally published as Manchester City headed to Australia to face Real Madrid in International Champions Cup