Official: Barcelona starting XI against Vissel Kobe | Preseason friendly | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to soon kick off their first preseason friendly of their tour to Asia. At the Noevir Stadium in Kobe, they are set to play against Japanese side Vissel Kobe. For Barcelona, this should be a great opportunity to freshen up and sharpen themselves as well.

While no points are at stake and neither is any kind of official trophy, there is still an expectation from Hansi Flick’s side to perform well in this game. After all, with very little time left before the start of the official season, La Blaugrana will need to prepare themselves accordingly.

To do that, a good performance against Vissel Kobe could prove to be great for their morale and overall confidence. Moreover, this match could provide an opportunity to see new signings such as Joan Garcia and Marcus Rashford, who is Barça’s latest signing, in action as well.

Here is the official starting eleven that Barcelona has decided to field for this friendly.

In goal, Joan Garcia plays as the starting goalkeeper for the Catalan giants. He will need to show what he is made up of and against a Japanese side that can find the back of the net frequently, it will be a good challenge for the new signing.

Joan Garcia makes his debut for Barcelona. (Photo Courtesy: The official website of FC Barcelona)

Ahead of him, Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez start as the two centre-backs. Both players will be responsible for defending the Barcelona goal while also needing to be at their best technically so that they can play the ball out from the back.

On the flanks, Alejandro Balde and Eric Garcia start as the two full-backs. They will be expected to cover a lot of ground and help out both offensively and defensively.

Over in the midfield, Gavi and Pedri start as the two defensive midfielders. They will need to provide energy and creativity to help feed balls to the forwards while also ensuring that possession remains safely with Barcelona.

On the wings, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha start as the two wide players. They will look to create problems for the opposition, while Fermin Lopez starts as the central attacking midfielder in between them.

Up top, Ferran Torres starts as the team’s centre-forward, and he will need to convert the chances that come his way. With his speed and physicality, he could prove to be a problem for Vissel Kobe.