Manchester City stars eclipsed by Real Madrid in combined XI

Thanks to football’s global sex appeal and ability to generate piles of cash that could keep Greece in credit, there are some pretty glamorous pre-season fixtures taking place around the world.

One such match features Manchester City and Real Madrid.

These European heavyweights find themselves in Australia to contest the rather elaborately named International Champions Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The encounter gives Manuel Pellegrini and Rafael Benitez a chance to try a few things out tactically and blood any new signings without the pressure of a potential Champions League exit looming.

It won’t just be the 90,000 odd fans packed into the MCG who witness this hyped-up friendly either, as the game will be broadcast in over 150 countries.

Although the destination of this particular cup won’t have much bearing on the shape of things to come this season, there will be an awful lot of world-class talent on display.

In celebration of this exhibition Down Under, here at News.LB we’ve gotten into season mode and selected a combined XI of the best players on show in either squad.

We see Man City’s defence as their main source of weakness, but see if you agree with the balance of our selections?

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