Manchester United has confirmed that they will be playing a friendly match in Dublin as part of their preparations for the upcoming season. The game will take place at the Aviva Stadium against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, August 6, which is one week before the start of the Premier League season.
Initially, United had delayed the confirmation of the Dublin date, as a potential FA Cup final win would have seen them competing in the Community Shield on August 6. However, Manchester City's victory over United means that City will face Arsenal in the Community Shield, freeing up United for their Dublin fixture.
United's pre-season schedule is packed, starting with matches in Oslo against Leeds United on July 12 and in Edinburgh against Lyon on July 19. They will then embark on a US tour, playing friendly matches against Arsenal in New York on July 22, Real Madrid in Houston on July 26, and Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas on July 30.
🚨 Manchester United are due to play a friendly in early August at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The opposition will not be an Irish Premier League XI as they were in the summer of 2010. [ @The42_ie ] #MUFC ✅ pic.twitter.com/D45hMkWhUH
— UtdPlug (@UtdPlug) June 7, 2023
Their last visit to Dublin's Lansdowne Road was for a friendly against Sampdoria in 2017. . On that occasion, the English side recorded a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria, with goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata.
Additionally, United played in the inaugural game at the new Aviva Stadium in 2010. United recorded a impressive 7-1 win. Michael Owen, Chicharito, Antonio Valencia, Johnny Evans, Nani, and Park Ji Sung were among the goal scorers, while Dave Mulcahy scored the opposition's only goal.
The upcoming 2023/2024 season is set to be significant for the Lansdowne Road venue as it will host the Europa League final. Ticket details for United's game against Bilbao will be released in due course.
