Southampton have lined up two of Europe's biggest names for the first Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup.The triangular tournament which takes places at St Mary's on Saturday July 23, will feature Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga and Athletic Club Bilbao of the Spanish La Liga.
The format of the tournament will see a round robin where teams will play 45-minute games, with draws decided by a penalty shootout. It will give the Saints team a good pre-season test against two top clubs.
It will also allow Saints fans a first glimpse of their team in their new home strip. Southampton's former owner Liebherr died suddenly last year of a heart attack, leaving control of the club in the hands of Nicola Cortese.
"The framework of the Memorial Cup will serve as a great occasion to honour the memory of Markus. It has been designed as the perfect event for all three teams involved in regards to their preparation for the forthcoming season, and is a great day out for the fans in which they get to watch three top class teams in action," said Cortese.
"I am very pleased to have been able to attract clubs like Athletic Bilbao and Werder Bremen considering this type of event hasn't been attempted before, and I know that Markus would have been proud to see the standard that we have set in the inaugural cup competition in his honour."
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