Bayern Munich meets Manchester City on Thursday in the 2013 Audi Cup final. The match begins at 2:30 p.m. ET. Watch the live stream HERE or ESPN's live stream HERE.
The preseason tournament comes to an end on Thursday. Bayern Munich and Manchester City both earned a spot in the final. For Man City, the final is an opportunity to knock any remaining offseason rust off and measure itself against the successful Bayern Munich club.
Manchester City advanced by handing AC Milan a 5-3 loss in the semifinals, scoring its five goals all in the first half. Despite the early lead, Milan kept Man City scoreless in the second half and came close to a comeback by scoring three goals.
Bayern Munich's offense struggled in its semifinal bout against Sao Paolo. The defense stifled Bayern until the second half, when Bayern was able to score twice to win, 2-0.
Both clubs are managed by new coaches, IB Times reports. Manuel Pellegrini, formerly with Real Madrid, has taken the reins for Man City; Pep Guardiola, formerly with Barcelona, helms the Bayern Munich team.
Pellegrini is excited to battle Guardiola's squad.
"Pep's teams always play good football and if we play his team during the Audi Cup it will hopefully be an enjoyable occasion for everyone," Pellegrini said, via IB Times.
Matija Nastasic, who suffered an injury against Sunderland in the Barclays Asia Trophy, is again unavailable for Manchester City. Thiago Alcantara's status for the final is uncertain - he was unavailable during the Sao Paolo game. Philipp Lahm is probable.
