The Australian leg of the International Champions Cup has locked in Spanish La Liga powerhouse Atletico Madrid as the third European team, together with Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur, to join Melbourne Victory in the pre-season international tournament to be played at the MCG in July this year.

It’s a reprise of the successful round-robin tournament played in Melbourne last year to which thousands flocked to see Roma, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Atletico, coached by Argentine Diego Simeone, currently sits in second place in La Liga, between top-placed Barcelona and third-placed Real Madrid.

“The team and I can’t wait to come and play in Melbourne and visit a country as exciting as Australia, sharing with fans its passion for football,” coach Simeone says of the planned pre-season trip.

“It’s fantastic to be part of such a high-calibre tournament with some of the best teams in Europe and the A-League’s most successful side, Melbourne Victory.

“This competition will form a key part of our pre-season training and will be a great opportunity for me to put my players through their paces ahead of the new season.”

Atletico is scheduled to play in the third match of the three-match series, against London club Tottenham Hotspur, which is also currently flying high in the EPL in second place behind Leicester, and with its best chance in years of winning the title.

The three matches scheduled for July 2016 are:

Match 1: Melbourne Victory v Juventus, Saturday 23 July, 7.00 pm
Match 2: Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur, Tuesday 26 July, 8.00 pm
Match 3: Tottenham Hotspur v Atletico Madrid, Friday 29 July, 8.00 pm

Hot on the heels of announcing the Socceroos v Greece friendly in Melbourne for June, Victoria’s Minister for Sport and Tourism John Eren commented:

“The fans want the big European outfits in Melbourne and that’s exactly what we’re delivering. The biggest contests belong in the city that does them the best. We put on a great spectacle last year when more than 220,000 fans packed the MCG over three great night and we can’t wait to do it again.”