THE Real Madrid under-21s travel to Saint Mary’s in the Premier League International Cup next Wednesday evening.
It’s Southampton’s opening game in the tournament, whereas the visitors beat Wolves away last month to leave them at the top of the eight-team group. Bruno Iglesias Lois scored the only goal in the 1-0 win.
A win could set the tone for a remarkable tournament, while a loss might force an early rethink.
The Saints U21s have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their Premier League Two campaign. They beat Derby 4-1 in their last outing.
18-year-old Nicholas Oyekunle already has four goals this term and will almost certainly put himself on the map of several top Premier League clubs were he to score against Los Blancos. He hopes he has already entered first-team manager Will Still’s thinking.
Cameron Bragg has already created three this season. The midfielder played twice for Southampton in the 2023-24 season before joining Crawley on loan for the next campaign.
Madrid, managed by Alvaro Arbeloa, have had an inconsistent start to their league season. They have both won and lost four games.
Their style is reputable, so the Saints will expect technically gifted players used to using possession in tight spaces to create high-tempo buildups.
They play Intercity in the Segunda Division on Sunday ahead of the cup tie.
