West Ham United are to face Premier League rivals Manchester City in Iceland as part of their pre-season preparations.

The game will take place on Friday, August 4 in Reykjavik at Iceland’s national stadium – Laugardalsvöllur – in what will be the first ever match between two Premier League sides in the country.

The fixture will cap of the Hammers’ pre-season preparations and will be new signing Pablo Zabaleta’s first match against his former club.

Speaking to West Ham’s website, boss Slaven Bilic said: “It is fantastic that we will make history by becoming the first Premier League clubs to face each other in Iceland, and we are really looking forward to visiting Scandinavia, where there is a very big West Ham following.

“Iceland captured the imagination of everyone with their fantastic performance at the European Championships last year and, although the country is small in population, they have a huge love for football.

“It is also the perfect fixture for City and ourselves, because we have great respect for each other and will both be looking for the same positives from the game, in terms of fitness and preparation for the start of the Premier League season a week later.”

The news comes after the Hammers announced yesterday that they will be taking on Werder Bremen as part of their pre-season preparations in Germany, where they will be competing for the Betway Cup on July 28 and 29.

From Germany, the Hammers will fly to Reykjavik on the August 3 and they face City the next day, before returning to England, where they will take on Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United on the opening day of the Premier League season on Saturday, August 12.