MANCHESTER UNITED and Liverpool legends sides are set to do battle at a £3billion sports complex in Hong Kong this Saturday.
A Steven Gerrard XI will take on a Rio Ferdinand XI at the ultra-modern Kai Tak Stadium.
The 50,000-seater stadium is part of an incredible £3bn development at the former Kai Tak Airport site.
Hong Kong’s former airport closed for good in 1998, with the site lying abandoned for several years.
In 2019 an immense new build commenced, finally making full use of the space in Hong Kong’s bustling Kowloon District.
The 28-hectare site includes the 50,000-seater stadium where this weekend’s game will take place, as well as a 10,000-capacity indoor arena, public sports ground and health and wellness centre.
Kai Tak Stadium has a futuristic retractable roof, while punters have plenty of options to eat at the nearby Dining Cove complex.
This weekend’s legends match will not be the first big fixture to take place there.
Kai Tak Stadium’s record attendance to date is the 49,975 that packed in for Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Arsenal in July.
Spectators were treated to a stunning 45-yard winner by Pape Matar Sarr on the night.
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The stadium also hosted Liverpool‘s 4-2 defeat to AC Milan a few days earlier, as well as a pair of Hong Kong World Cup qualifiers.
Coldplay played the venue back in April, with 183,980 fans flocking through the doors during the four-night run.
Legends lineups
Several big names have been confirmed for this Saturday’s match
Gerrard XI
- Steven Gerrard
- Vladimir Smicer
- Phil Babb
- Sami Hyypia
- Florent Sinama-Pongolle
- Antonio Nunez
- Luis Garcia
- Jerzy Dudek
- Patrik Berger
- John Arne Riise
Ferdinand XI
- Rio Ferdinand
- Nicky Butt
- Keith Gillespie
- Eric Djemba-Djemba
- Danny Simpson
- Tomasz Kuszczak
- Jose Kleberson
- Dimitar Berbatov
- Wes Brown
- Nemanja Vidic
- Louis Saha
Ferdinand’s Man Utd legends side this weekend will include the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Nemanja Vidic and Nicky Butt.
While Gerrard’s Reds have signed up Sami Hyypia, Jerzy Dudek and John Arne Riise.
The match has been dubbed “Red on Red” – and will kick off at 5pm local time (10am BST).
Kai Tak Stadium’s neighbouring indoor Arena has also hosted several big events already.
Earlier this year it welcomed the world’s best snooker stars for the World Grand Prix, with Neil Robertson taking home the title by demolishing Stuart Bingham 10-0 in the final.
