Manchester United, Liverpool & Manchester City announce US summer tour dates

Premier League trio Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City have announced their 2014 Guinness International Champions Cup fixtures, with the latter two sides facing each other on July 30 in New York.

Manuel Pellegrini's outfit will take on Brendan Rodgers' men at Yankee Stadium in Group B, while David Moyes' side take on Italian duo Inter and Roma in Group A.

United take on the Giallorossi at Denver's Sports Authority Field on July 26, before travelling to Washington DC to face the Nerazzurri at the FedEx Field on July 29. Their game against Real Madrid has yet to be scheduled.

Manchester United group managing director Richard Arnold said: "These two matches against strong opposition will provide David Moyes and his team with valuable preparation for the 2014-15 season.

“The team last played in Washington DC in 2011 and the match against Barcelona was extremely well supported. This will be the team’s first visit to Denver and we are excited to meet our fans in this city for the first time."

Liverpool's summer excursion to the US will be the second of Rodgers' Anfield career, with Olympiakos first up in Group B at Soldier Field Stadium on July 27.

The Reds then face Pellegrini's City side at Yankee Stadium on July 30, before taking on AC Milan at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on August 2.

City face Milan on July 27 at Heinz Field before the clash against Liverpool and finish up against the Greeks on August 2 at Bank of America Stadium.

"City have always enjoyed terrific support across the five boroughs having visited the states many times," City captain Vincent Kompany said.

"The passion of our New York fans was clear for all to see when we played at Yankee Stadium last year."

Xavi: Barcelona are in for a tough time in the Champions League

By Enis Koylu

The experienced midfielder has accepted that his side will have to go through some adversity as they hunt for European glory this season

Barcelona midfielder Xavi has accepted that his side are going to experience hard times as they go in search of the Champions League title.

The Blaugrana reached the last eight with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Manchester City, but were made to work hard for a 2-1 victory over Manuel Pellegrini's side during Wednesday's Camp Nou leg.

And the veteran midfielder believes his side have begun to recapture some of their best form, which will prove crucial as they look to mount a challenge for Europe's top prize.

"This is the Champions League and we know that at times we're going to have a hard time," he told the club's official website.

"I believe that we dominated the match, the sensations are good and the objective was to reach the quarter-finals - here we are, pleased with our victory.

"Our rivals also play, but we tried to have the ball and play our football.

"The coach is the one who decides how to play, and we have a big team and we're playing well. We've recovered our form.

"The fans were sensational and the atmosphere was extraordinary."