Atleti cancel Galatasaray friendly amid safety concerns

Atletico Madrid have cancelled their friendly against Galatasaray on Saturday, amid safety concerns in Turkey.

The two teams had been due to face each other at the Turk Telekom Arena in Istanbul, but the Spanish side have pulled the plug on the pre-season game and will not travel.

A number of recent terror attacks in the country, along with an attempted coup, have led to security issues, with Atleti reportedly considering their participation in the fixture last week.

And they have now made the decision to forego the match, leaving a free weekend for both sides just a fortnight before their respective league campaigns get underway.

Galatasaray have played five friendlies, winning two and drawing two before being beaten 5-2 by Manchester United, ahead of their Super Kupa clash against Besiktas on August 13.

Atleti, meanwhile, have won two and lost one of their three pre-season matches, with two more to come before they face Alaves in La Liga on August 21.