FC Barcelona have certainly looked the part of reigning La Liga champions/domestic treble winners on their tour of the Far East, thus far. That’s “a 10-4 good buddy,” to use trucker parlance! The Blaugrana have outscored their competition, Vissel Kobe and FC Seoul, on aggregate 10-4. Yes, it’s just preseason, and they’re only playing J-League and K-League competition, but they have gotten done what needs to be done.
And they have done so in a manner that leaves no doubt. If you’re a supporter of this club, you have to be feeling pretty good about where you’re at right now.
FC Barcelona Asia Tour
Mon. Aug 4, at Daegu, Daegu, South Korea, 7am EST
FC Barcelona Team News at Daegu
There no fresh injury concerns for the Catalan club at this time. lnigo Martinez missed out of the 7-3 thrashing at FC Seoul, but it was just precautionary. He was feeling a bit of muscular fatigue, so rest was in order. The central defender should be full go here.
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford took a pay cut to come to Catalonia, but so far he’s only had appearances off the bench. We don’t expect that to happen here either.
FC Barcelona Starting Lineup Prediction at Daegu
Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, 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