Premier League champions Manchester City to play in Hong Kong in July after Asia Trophy in China
- Guardiola’s side will play in the EPL Asia Trophy in China before an exhibition match at Hong Kong Stadium
- Newcastle, West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers will also feature in the tournament which will take place in two Chinese cities for the first time
Premier League champions Manchester City will visit Hong Kong in July to play an exhibition match against a leading Hong Kong side, believed to be champions Kitchee.
Pep Guardiola’s side will be heading to China for the biennial Asia Trophy and it is understood they will then come to Hong Kong for an exhibition match before going on to Japan. City are to play Yokohama F. Marinos on July 27 at the Nissan Stadium.
City will arrive in Hong Kong on July 21 for the match on July 24 at the 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium.
Manchester City’s official website only revealed their trip to China and Japan, saying their full summer tour schedule “will be confirmed in the coming weeks”.
The club last visited Hong Kong in 2013 for the Asia Trophy, which was hit by a torrential downpour.
Hong Kong hosted the 2017 Asia Trophy, and for the first time four Premier League teams featured after a Shanghai leg was cancelled because no team from the mainland was willing to play, preferring to focus on a hectic domestic schedule.
The last time the Asia Trophy was played in China, in 2009, only 10,000 fans watched the final when Spurs beat Hull City 3-0 at the 60,000-seater Workers’ Stadium in Beijing. Spurs came to Hong Kong for a match against South China afterwards.
The 2019 version will be staged in two cities, Nanjing and Shanghai. City, Newcastle, West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers will play their semi-final matches at Nanjing’s Olympic Sports Centre on July 17 then the third-place play-off and final in Shanghai’s Hongkou Stadium three days later.
Omar Berrada, Manchester City’s chief operating officer, said on their website: “We are delighted to return to China and take part in the Premier League Asia Trophy. China is a special place for City – it’s where Pep Guardiola began his City tenure in 2016 and we have a huge number of passionate followers across the country. We’re looking forward to hosting exciting events in China and welcoming local fans to our matches.”
