FORGET THE EUROS... CLUB FOOTBALL IS BACK! HARRY KANE IS SET FOR A TOTTENHAM HOMECOMING AND THERE IS AN EL CLASICO IN THE US - THE TOP 10 PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES TO WHET YOUR APPETITE FOR THE NEW SEASON

Euro 2024 may be over but the 2024-25 club season is just a month away
Before the big kick off, each team will play multiple friendlies to sharpen up
This summer's pre-season friendlies include a Spurs homecoming for Harry Kane

This summer's festivals of international football both ended on Sunday night with the finals of Euro 2024 and the Copa America.

However, football never really ends. With the start of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign just a month away, all 20 clubs have begun their pre-season programmes.

Some teams have already played a friendly or two, but there are plenty of major pre-season matches still to come.

Mail Sport have rounded up 10 of the biggest and best to look forward to.

The kick-off times of the fixtures listed below are all based on British Summer Time (BST).

Manchester City vs Celtic (July 24, 00.30 at Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

Many fans would like to see the champions of England take on the champions of Scotland each season in a proper game.

However, those fans will have to settle for a friendly match over 3,000 miles away from the UK.

City and Celtic have not played each other in a competitive game since 2016 when they met in the group stage of the Champions League, drawing 3-3 in Glasgow and then 1-1 in Manchester.

Chelsea vs Wrexham (July 25, 03.30 at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California)

Chelsea are under new management, again.

Enzo Maresca's first game in charge of the Blues will be a battle of two American-owned clubs on US soil.

Wrexham, fresh from winning promotion to League One last season, will be hoping to raise their game and put on a show in front of what is sure to be a celebrity-filled crowd.

Liverpool vs Arsenal (August 1, 00.30 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

These two Premier League rivals have served up some stunning matches over the years.

Who can forget the 4-4 at Anfield in 2009? There's even been a 5-5 since then.

This might only be a friendly, but it should be good to watch.

Real Madrid vs AC Milan (August 1, 01.30 at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois)

Real Madrid fans will be desperate to catch a glimpse of Kylian Mbappe following his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

While it is not yet clear when he will make his debut, Madrid's first opportunity to field the France captain will come in their opening friendly of the summer against Italian giants Milan.

Mbappe scored against Milan last season during a 3-0 win for PSG in the Champions League.

Chelsea vs Manchester City (August 3, 22.30 at Ohio Stadium, Columbus)

This friendly is scheduled to take place just 15 days before the two sides face each other at Stamford Bridge in their first game of the new Premier League campaign.

The personnel will likely differ greatly between the two matches, with City boss Pep Guardiola expected to not take any of his players who went deep at Euro 2024 to the USA this summer.

However, this should still be a fascinating test for these two teams.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid (August 4, 00.00 at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey)

A Clasico is always a huge game, even when only a 'friendly'.

Do not be shocked to see tackles flying in and the referee dishing out plenty of cards in this one.

These two great rivals met three times last season, with those games delivering 13 goals and 13 cards, including a red.

Manchester United vs Liverpool (August 4, 00.30 at Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina)

The biggest fixture in English football is going Stateside this summer.

Just like with the Clasico, United and Liverpool do not really do 'friendlies'.

United fared pretty well against Liverpool last season, drawing both Premier League games and winning 4-3 in the FA Cup. Those results followed a humiliating 7-0 thrashing at Anfield in the previous campaign.

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen (August 7, 18.00 at the Emirates Stadium)

This should be a very tough test for Arsenal.

Leverkusen stunned the football world last season by going unbeaten throughout their domestic campaign to win the Bundesliga and German Cup double.

This game should also see Granit Xhaka return to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since he left Arsenal in July 2023.

Borussia Dortmund vs Aston Villa (August 10, 16.00 at Westfalenstadion)

Aston Villa will enter the UEFA Champions League next season and will therefore take on some of Europe's best teams.

A match against a side that reached last year's final should be the perfect warm-up for Unai Emery's men.

It will also give Villa an incredible experience of playing in one of Europe's most iconic stadiums in front of the famous 'Yellow Wall'.

Tottenham vs Bayern Munich (August 10, 17.30 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)

Bizarrely, Spurs and Bayern are playing each other twice this summer.

Their first game is in South Korea on August 3 but it is their second meeting that should be the bigger spectacle.

That is because it should see Harry Kane make his return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Furthermore, Kane could actually win the first trophy of his Bayern career against Spurs.

The 'Visit Malta Cup' will be on the line in north London.

2024-07-16T21:36:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd