With the 2022 World Cup having reached the knockout rounds, the return of club football is inching ever closer and squads across Europe are beginning to prepare for the resumption of their domestic leagues.

As part of this process, several sides will play friendly matches and one of the most attractive fixtures taking place this week is Cádiz CF vs Manchester United on Wednesday, December 7th. That match will be held at the LaLiga Santander club's Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla and will kick off at 20:00 CET local time, which is 19:00 GMT.

This will be the first ever meeting between these two clubs and it'll be yet another Spanish test for Manchester United. The English side played two pre-season friendlies against LaLiga Santander opposition in the summer ahead of the 2022/23 season, losing 1-0 to Atlético de Madrid and drawing 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano. They also met Real Sociedad twice in the Europa League group stage, losing 1-0 at home to the Basque side and winning 1-0 away. Now, the Red Devils will play Cádiz CF this Wednesday and then also face Real Betis at the Estadio Benito Villamarín on Saturday, December 10th.

For Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, this clash with Cádiz CF will be particularly important because it will be the team's first game since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford was announced. Ronaldo – whose 311 goals in 292 matches still make him the second-top scorer in LaLiga Santander history – wouldn't have played anyway because of his participation at the World Cup, but this Cádiz CF vs Manchester United game will allow Ten Hag to start working towards the future.

There will be some high-profile names in the Manchester United squad, such as David de Gea, Anthony Martial, Anthony Elanga, Scott McTominay and Donny Van de Beek, while Cádiz CF's former Premier League strikers Lucas Pérez and Álvaro Negredo will relish the chance to go up against Manchester United once again.

For the Cádiz CF coach Sergio González, this is also a very important warm-up game as the Andalusian side will hope to climb up the LaLiga Santander table once the competition resumes. They are currently 19th in the standings, but are just one point away from safety and played some good football just before the World Cup pause, even beating Atlético de Madrid 3-2 at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla at the end of October.

The Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla: The perfect stadium for a friendly

There should be a great atmosphere at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla for this game. Even though the winter World Cup and the mid-season friendlies like this one are unprecedented, this is a stadium that is well used to hosting important friendly matches.

Every summer since 1955, Cádiz CF have organised one of the most prestigious pre-season tournaments, called the Ramón de Carranza Trophy. Some of the best sides from all over the world have competed in this mini tournament, warming up for each new season on the famous pitch.

Now, in the middle of this unique 2022/23 campaign, Cádiz CF and Manchester United will meet in this Wednesday's friendly, with both clubs keen to build up some momentum before the return of competitive action in late December.