Manchester United continue their preparations for the 2026–27 campaign by taking on Atlético Madrid in Sweden this weekend.
The Red Devils are in the midst of a busy summer, and are already two games into their preseason schedule. So far, they’ve lost to Wrexham 1–0 and beaten Rosenborg 5–0.
Four academy prospects were on the scoresheet in Norway last time out, including highly rated 19-year-old Shea Lacey. Joshua Zirkzee’s sublime solo strike was perhaps the highlight of United‘s handsome victory, which thoroughly pleased manager Michael Carrick.
“Two games in, two weeks in, I think we can take where we are and we’re pretty happy,” he commented post-match.
The difficulty does notch up on Saturday, though, even if Atlético Madrid are without a glut of senior players. Their preseason started with a comfortable victory over La Liga rivals Getafe, and they’ve been relatively busy in the transfer market improving their roster.
Atléti finished down in fourth last season, and 25 points adrift of champions Barcelona. While Diego Simeone‘s side won’t be expected to dethrone the Blaugrana this season, they’ll want to at least compete with the division’s top two.
These two teams have met four times competitively, and Man Utd are yet to taste victory. Most recently, Atléti edged a dour Champions League round of 16 tie 2–1 on aggregate in 2022.
While the La Liga outfit will always compete with tenacity and vigor, they’re still working their way into the summer. Key man Julián Alvarez is absent, and Simeone is likely to experiment with the academy starlets at his disposal.
Carrick also has a gifted crop of youngsters to work with, complementing an array of senior stars poised for big roles next season. Supporters may also be treated to some new faces in Sweden this weekend.
The extra game United have played may work in their favor at this early juncture, and if this does come down to a battle of starlets in the second half, you’d back United’s to get the job done.
