After 34 days of summer break for the players and coaching staff, Atlético will finally begin the 2013/14 season on Friday.
Diego Pablo Simeone, who will return from his holiday in Argentina today, will meet up with his players for the start of the pre-season at the Cuidad Deportiva in the Madrilenian suburb of Majadahonda on Friday to begin preparations for the upcoming season.
After undergoing physical tests on Friday, the squad will leave for their annual training camp in Los Ángeles de San Rafael on Monday. Their first stage of preparation will take two weeks, and will end with a friendly against Numancia on Sunday, July 21st at 7 pm in Burgo de Osma.
On Friday 25th the club will embark on another tour of South America, where they will take part in the “Copa Euroamericana”, a tournament of 11 teams from nine different nations.
Cholo’s men will start the tournament with a match against Estudiantes de La Plata in Buenos Aires on July 27th.
Four days later, Atleti will play against the Peruvian side of Sporting de Cristal in the capital of Lima.
The last match in the tournament will take place in Uruguay, where the Rojiblancos will face Nacional Montevideo on August 4th.
Once back in Spain, the Colchoneros will play their last friendly of the off-season on the Canary Island of Gran Ganaria against UD Las Palmas on August 10th.
After this, Simeone and his squad will have one more week of preparation time before the onset of La Liga on the third weekend of August. The schedule will be published next Tuesday.
Atlético will also face FC Barcelona their debut week for the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on August 21st, with the return leg to be played on the 28th in Barcelona.
With another title at stake and three competitions to contend, Simeone, frustrated with the lack of signings so far, will be hoping to bolster his squad sooner rather than later, to make the most of the pre-season.