New signing Pablo Zabaleta will face off against his old club Manchester City in Iceland this summer in the final game of West Ham’s pre-season tour of Europe.
Zabaleta signed on a free transfer at the end of last season after nine seasons at the Etihad Stadium, and will see his new side face Pep Guardiola’s men in Reykjavik on Friday August 4th, in what will be the first-ever match between two English Premier League teams in Iceland just eight days before the big Premier League kick-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Bilic believes the tie will be the perfect end to an exciting pre-season tour of Europe, stating on the club’s official website: “It is fantastic that we will make history by becoming the first Premier League clubs to face each other in Iceland, and we are really looking forward to visiting Scandinavia, where there is a very big West Ham following.”
He added: “Iceland captured the imagination of everyone with their fantastic performance at the European Championships last year and, although the country is small in population, they have a huge love for football.
“It is also the perfect fixture for City and ourselves, because we have great respect for each other and will both be looking for the same positives from the game, in terms of fitness and preparation for the start of the Premier League season a week later.”
West Ham begin their pre-season Austria, before they take on Werder Bremen twice in two days at the end of July for the Betway Cup. From Germany, The Hammers travel directly to Iceland before they conclude their tour against City in Iceland’s national stadium, Laugardalsvöllur.
