Juventus, Tottenham return to Australia

Juventus and Tottenham are confirmed starters in next year's Melbourne leg of the International Champions Cup.

Italian football heavyweights Juventus will headline the Australian leg of the International Champions Cup (ICC) in July 2016.

The 31-time Serie A winners will visit Melbourne along with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and a third club to be announced next year.

A-League champions Melbourne Victory will also play in the competition, taking on Juventus as part of a slightly tweaked ICC format in 2016 at the MCG on July 23.

Tournament organiser Bart Campbell said on Friday he was confident both sides will bring full-strength sides in an international window that also includes the European Championship and Copa America.

"The best of the best will be coming down here again and were really delighted to have convinced them to come to Melbourne," he told News Corp.

"Subject to injury, everyone's available and required to be down here in Australia.

"Juventus and Tottenham between them have something like 17 players playing at Euro 2016, which finishes July 10.

"If you look at the quality across those sides, Juventus have just gone into the final 16 in Europe ... they won Serie A last year, they were in the final of the Champions League, they're a really strong side."

It is not the first meeting between Juventus and Victory.

The two sides played an exhibition match in 2008 at Etihad Stadium, won by the Italians 4-1 in front of 43,000 people.

The 2015 ICC tournament saw Real Madrid, Roma and Manchester City play a MCG round-robin tournament in June but the 2016 edition will be different.

Following the competition opener, Tottenham will play in two games, against Juventus and the unknown side, in the following days.

Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat said it was a fine moment for the A-League champions.

"It's a massive feather in the cap of the football club that we've been recognised as the club they want involved in that tournament," he said ahead of Saturday's Melbourne derby.

"We've seen what a success it was last season ... when the time comes we will look forward to it."

More 95,000 spectators flocked to the MCG for Victory's last appearance at the ground against Liverpool in 2013.

Both Juve and Spurs are recent visitors to Australia, playing matches in Sydney.

The Italian giants beat the A-League All-Stars 3-2 in 2014.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane's goal was enough to topple Sydney FC in May.


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Source: AAP



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