FC Barcelona will conclude their pre-season tour of Asia on Monday when they visit South Korean side Daegu FC, searching for a third successive friendly victory to cap off a successful trip.
Hansi Flick’s side has been in blistering attacking form during their time in the Far East, securing a convincing 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe before thrashing FC Seoul 7-3 in a goal-fest on Thursday. They will be keen to maintain that momentum against an out-of-form Daegu team.
The two clubs enter this friendly in completely opposite circumstances. While Barcelona look formidable, Daegu are in the midst of a disastrous run, currently on a 12-match winless streak in their ongoing domestic K League season.
Manager Hansi Flick is expected to continue his strategy of fielding a strong starting lineup to build cohesion and fitness ahead of the new campaign. Stars like Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Frenkie de Jong are all likely to feature from the start, spelling trouble for the struggling hosts.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): J. García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Araújo, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
As in the previous two games, Flick will likely make sweeping changes at halftime, which will provide more valuable minutes for new signings Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji, who both impressed off the bench against Seoul.
Given the enormous gap in quality between the two sides and Daegu’s dreadful recent form, which has seen them concede 12 goals in their last five outings, anything other than an emphatic Barcelona victory would be a major shock. The Catalan giants should romp home to a comfortable win.
Prediction: Daegu FC 0–6 Barcelona