Barcelona vs. Vissel Kobe: 2019 Friendly Preview, Live Stream, TV Schedule

La Liga champions Barcelona play J-League side Vissel Kobe in a pre-season friendly on Saturday at the Noevir Stadium in Japan.

The match sees the Spanish side come up against former players Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Sergi Samper, who all now ply their trade with Thorsten Fink's team.

Barcelona handed debuts to new signings Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong and Neto in their first friendly in Japan but were beaten 2-1 by Premier League side Chelsea.

Date: Saturday, July 27

Time: 6 p.m. (local time), 10 a.m. (BST), 5 a.m. (ET)

TV Info: FreeSports TV (UK), ESPN (U.S.)

Live Stream: ESPN+ (U.S.)

Match Preview

Barcelona legend Iniesta will face his former team for the first time since leaving in 2018. He told the club's official website it will be "strange" to play against the Catalan giants.

The midfielder, who is regarded as one of the club's greatest players, has already received a warm welcome from his former team-mates:

Barcelona are without key names such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Arthur and Philippe Coutinho in Japan due to their 2019 Copa America commitments, but they will likely use the game to give their new arrivals some more game time.

Griezmann enjoyed a lively debut against Chelsea but will be hoping he can score his first goal in his new club's colours on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, De Jong came off the bench against the Blues and demonstrated his ability in possession:

Manager Ernesto Valverde is set to hand opportunities to some of his younger players. There are nine Barcelona B players in the squad, including highly rated midfielder Riqui Puig:

Barcelona face a Vissel Kobe side in the middle of their domestic season. Fink's team are 15th in the table after 20 games and have lost their last three outings.

Iniesta, Villa and Samper will all be keen to play some part in the match, and the former Barca captain has shown he is still capable of moments of brilliance:

Valverde is likely to go with a mix of experience and youth on Saturday, but his team should still have too much for the hosts.

The game is Barcelona's last match in Japan before they head back to Spain to take on Arsenal in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 4.