Source: Eurosport
Pre-season trip pleases Hughes
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes believes his side will reap the benefits of competing in the Vodacom Challenge.
Hughes will take a 30-strong squad - including new signings Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry - to South Africa next week. City will face Orlando Pirates on July 18 and Kaizer Chiefs three days later, with the final on July 25.
Hughes told the club`s official website: "There are a number of top-class tournaments in the summer and for us to be invited to this one is a feather in our cap.
"I played in South Africa back in the 1990s and the games with the Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates were always competitive. The people really impressed me with their love for the sport.
"There is no real time difference, so we should be jet-lag free. That is a bonus and the climate will be in our favour too because they will still be in their winter."
City have also arranged matches against Rangers and Celtic before their opening league game against Blackburn on August 15.
