International Champions Cup Game Time Thread: Juventus vs. Benfica

Hey, everybody. How’s it going? Just wanna check in and let you know that I care about you all. I want to make sure everything is okay, not try and stoke the flames of what the last post on this here website is centered around.

I do this because I care.

And even though it’s a friendly, thank God there’s a Juventus game today.

The second of three International Champions Cup friendlies is upon us. After hanging out in the rain in Philadelphia, Juventus has rolled over to Jersey where they will face Benfica at Red Bull Arena.

I want to let you know that I’ve been to a Juventus game at Red Bull Arena before. it was in 2010, a couple weeks after the first of two seventh-place finishes, and Juve lost to the New York Red Bulls by a 3-1 scoreline. That day, Alex Manninger was Juventus’ starting goalkeeper. Diego was still a member of the Juve roster. Jonathan Zebina started at right back. Amauri scored the lone goal.

The amount of players who wore a Juventus jersey that day who are still with the club is also the same number of appearances I’ve made for Juve in my lifetime.

The one positive: I can say that I attended a Juventus game, friendly or actually a competitive match that meant something, where David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero were the two starting strikers. (Also, Simone Padoin, a little known player on a week-long loan from Atalanta at the time, started that game, too, so I guess that’s two positives, right?)

Times are different now.

Thank goodness they are different.

Even as we argue back and forth about Juventus possibly re-acquiring Leonardo Bonucci and seeing one of their best prospects go in the other direction as part of the deal.

Oh, I didn’t want to bring that sore subject up until after Mattia Caldara subs in, the BWRAO Twitter account’s mentions officially melts down and there’s nowhere to hide from the rage.

Dammit.

Ah, hell. Go ahead and enjoy today’s game, people.

And, Juventus, please don’t let anybody get hurt.

MATCH INFO

When: Saturday, July 28, 2018

Where: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey

Official kickoff time: 1:05 p.m. local time in New Jersey, 1:05 p.m. on the East Coast, 10:05 a.m. on the West Coast; 7:05 p.m. in Italy; 6:05 p.m. in the United Kingdom

STARTING LINEUPS

Juventus starting XI:

Benfica starting XI:

HOW TO WATCH

Television: ESPN2 (United States); Premier Player HD (United Kingdom); Sky Supercalcio HD (Italy)

Online/mobile: ESPN3, ESPN+, WatchESPN app (United States); DAZN (Canada); Sky Go Italia (Italy)

Other live viewing options can be found here, and as always, you can also follow along with us live and all the stupid things we say on Twitter. If you haven’t already, join the community on Black & White & Read All Over, and join in the discussion below.

And don’t forget to like our page on Facebook, either!