Storylines aplenty as FC Barcelona continue their Asia Tour, with a visit to FC Seoul up next. Defender Eric Garcia sat out the training session earlier today for the Blaugrana, rendering him a doubt, at the very least, for this exhibition clash. Elsewhere venerable veteran goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was not expected to play a part by any means, due to his back problems, but now we know the course of action that he’s going to take in treating it.
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
Team News
Ter Stegen is going to undergo back surgery, so you know what that means…he’s going to be out awhile. And that is that, in terms of injury and unavailability news for the Catalan club.
Shifting gears to the other touchline, you’ll see a name that should be quite familiar to European football fans- Jesse Lingard.
Yes, that Jesse Lingard of Manchester United notoriety, who also spent time at Nottingham Forest, and found his best form when he was on loan at West Ham United.
Who could forget that purple patch he had for the Irons during that loan spell. He’s now in the K-League, banging in the goals for Seoul.
So that will certainly be an angle to watch here.
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