Barcelona vs. LA Galaxy: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
There's no Lionel Messi and no Neymar, but Luis Suarez will be looking to get his teeth into the LA Galaxy as he faces former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard.
There isn't much of an indication of what side Barcelona will put out yet, but Suarez should feature to give the fans their money's worth.
Around 90,000 fans are expected at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Barcelona can't use either Arda Turan or Aleix Vidal, either, so their squad is somewhat limited.
Young players like Sandro and Munir El Haddadi will hope to get some game-time in the club's first pre-season friendly after last term's treble triumph.
LA Galaxy are missing players too, with Omar Gonzalez (USA), Alan Gordon (USA), Gyasi Zardes (USA), Jaime Penedo (Panama) and Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) playing international football at the 2015 Gold Cup.
The American side have already played a game in the International Champions Cup, winning 2-1 against Club America, coming from behind.
They're also taking part in the MLS season, and their most recent result was a 5-2 crushing of the San Jose Earthquakes on July 17, so they're a team in competitive mode.
That means Barcelona won't get an easy welcome to pre-season and their American tour—and we're not just talking about the turbulence they endured on the flight.
Predicted Lineups:
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Douglas, Bartra, Vermaelen, Alba, Busquets, Rafinha, Iniesta, Pedro, Suarez, Munir.
LA Galaxy: Rowe, Gargan, DeLaGarza, Ribeiro da Silva, Rogers, Pereira Jr, Walker, Husidic, Gerrard, Lletget, Keane.
Date: Wednesday, July 22
Time: 4 a.m. BST/11 p.m. ET
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 UK. Fox Sports 1 USA
Live Stream: Sky Go UK. Fox Sports Go
Key Quote
Luis Enrique spoke on Monday, hours after landing in Los Angeles. The coach explained why Messi wasn't on the tour, saying, per Javier Miguel and Valenti Enrich at Sport: "Messi is not in the United States because he needs holidays. Messi's season is almost eternal and he needs a break."
Key Battle
Steven Gerrard is likely to be playing in an attacking midfield position and, unless Enrique springs a surprise and plays a youngster, he should face Busquets. The Barcelona defensive midfielder started last season poorly, but his game rose through the campaign and he was playing at an extremely high level by the end of it. It should be an intriguing matchup.
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