With Dier but without Pogba and Fati, AS Monaco kicks off its pre-season against Bruges at La Turbie

The holidays are over, and it's time to get back to work for AS Monaco. This Friday, July 11 at 6:30 p.m., the Red and Whites kick off their summer campaign with a first friendly match behind closed doors at the La Turbie performance center, against Cercle Bruges . A highly anticipated match, to kick off the physical preparation, but also to discover the first impressions of a team strengthened by an XXL transfer window.

Eric Dier's first steps

Of the three star recruits who have already joined the Principality this summer: Paul Pogba , 2018 world champion , back after two years without playing; Ansu Fati , the former FC Barcelona star , on loan to relaunch his career; and Eric Dier , English international from Bayern Munich , only the latter will be present. The British defender will play 45 minutes in the middle, with a rotation of the squad planned at half-time.

The former Bavarian has an experienced profile. At 31 years old and with 49 caps for the "Three Lions" , he will bring character this season to take a step forward... and hold his own in the Champions League, a competition that ASM will be competing in after finishing 3rd in Ligue 1.

A pre-season classic

This first warm-up match, against "cousin club" Cercle Bruges - owned, like ASM, by Russian billionaire Dmitri Rybolovlev - will mark the start of Adi Hütter's third season on the bench. The Austrian coach, who has been reappointed after revitalizing the team, will be keen to integrate his new recruits step by step into an ambitious squad, both in the league and in Europe.

For now, it's time to get going. After a week of training behind closed doors and before a training camp in England at St George's Park (the equivalent of the French Clairefontaine, in Birmingham), this first test will serve to regain reflexes, gauge fitness, and observe the first tactical adjustments.

Today will be the tenth time ASM has faced Bruges in a friendly, with Cercle having secured their place in the Jupiler Pro League (Belgian Division 1) through the play-offs. The record from the first matches is positive, with five wins, three draws, and one defeat.

With their sights set on the top, the Monegasques are launching their summer with ambition. The return of Ligue 1, the weekend of August 15 against Le Havre, is already in their sights.

Today at 6:30 p.m.: AS Monaco - Cercle Bruges