It won’t be long now- the summer is really clipping along at a fast pace. You can start counting down the days now, as FC Barcelona will go to Mallorca on Aug 16 to begin defense of their La Liga title. And even ahead of that, the Spanish treble winners have another match of significance, for the Joan Gamper Trophy, against Como, in just 12 days time.
Indeed, where did the summer preseason go? A trip to FC Seoul is up next, the penultimate match of Barca’s Asia Tour.
FC Barcelona at FC Seoul FYIs
Kickoff: Thursday July 31, Seoul World Cup Stadium, 1pm Barcelona time
Competition: Preseason Club Friendly
Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Remaining FC Barcelona Asia Tour Match
Aug 4, at Daegu, Daegu, South Korea
In other words, the time for practice matches is running out, and pretty soon the games will actually count. With that in mind, Hansi Flick will go with a strong side here at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Last time out, he integrated his three new summer arrivals Joan Garcia, Roony Bardghji and Marcus Rashford into his team. We’re predicting two of the three will receive a starting assignment here.
FC Barcelona Starting Lineup Prediction vs FC Seoul
Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter