Barcelona v Seoul preview
Barcelona’s visit to FC Seoul owes much to a fried chicken franchise, according to a report describing the delicacy as “the most Korean of institutions”.
Barca join Premier League giants Tottenham and Newcastle in Seoul this week, with the Korea JoongAng Daily saying that the sponsors have even taken care of the reigning Spanish champions’ tour bus.
“In the Korean context, it makes perfect sense,” the report explains, painting a picture that many fans worldwide might approve of. “For the majority of Koreans, football is best enjoyed with fried chicken and beer.”
Seoul are fourth in top flight the K League 1 and have invited Barcelona to become their first international visitors in 11 years at their Seoul World Cup Stadium, which has a capacity of almost 67,000.
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Former England forward Jesse Lingard is their best-known player in Europe, contributing 13 goals and six assists in 51 games since signing in February 2024 in a move regarded by many as the most high-profile signing ever made by a Korean club.
Hansi Flick’s players landed in the South Korean capital on Tuesday and trained at the Goyang Stadium, which is around 15 minutes from the World Cup Stadium, in temperatures of more than 40 degrees.
They flew in from Japan, where late goals by 19-year-old new signing Roony Bardghji and fellow substitute Pedro Fernandez, who is 17, completed a 3-1 win at Vissel Kobe.
The five-time European champions proceed to the city of Daegu, which is almost 200 miles south of Seoul, to face 2018 Korean Cup winners Daegu FC on Monday (12:00 BST / 07:00 ET / 04:00 PT).
Barcelona v FC Seoul team news
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia, left-back Jofre Torrents and forward Marcus Rashford joined Bardghji and Fernandez in making their Barcelona debuts against Kobe.
Goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen has had more surgery on lower back problems and Marc Bernal is awaiting the all-clear in the midfielder’s recovery from a long-term knee injury.
Eric Garcia, who scored Barca’s first goal of pre-season against Kobe, has returned to full training after spending one session working individually because of a muscle problem.
Flick could bring in some of the major names who started on the bench in Kobe, including Ronald Araujo, Rashford, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde – who says he is close to signing a contract extension until 2020 – and Wojciech Szczesny.
Lamine Yamal could start again. “He’s an exceptional talent,” said Flick. “He is unbelievable and can decide matches.
“Of course he will play. We all want to give our best and play to our highest level here in South Korea, in Seoul.”
Rashford and Lingard are both Manchester United academy products and have played 152 games together for the club and England, winning the 2015/16 FA Cup and 2016/17 EFL Cup and Europa League, as well as helping the Three Lions reach the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
Seoul have signed Jeong Tae-wook on loan from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. The centre-back captained South Korea to the quarter-finals at the 2020 Olympic Games.
South Korea youth international Cheon Seong-hoon has also joined alongside former Celtic, New York Red Bulls and Poland youth forward Patryk Klimala as part of what Seoul call an attempt to make their attack “a little sharper and more incisive”.
Brazilian Anderson Oliveira will be aiming to help them in that ambition, having arrived from Suwon after being named in the 2024 K League 1 Best XI.
Anderson played on the right wing on his debut on July 20, when lone striker Jesse Lingard scored the only goal of the game from distance before the break against Club World Cup also-rans Ulsan.
“He is quiet and possesses a sense of [presence],” manager Kim Gi-dong said of Anderson, via Chosun. “He does not joke around and diligently does his job.
“I believe that, regardless of the position, a right winger will be more comfortable for him in my system.”
Kim Gi-dong came under pressure from fans at the end of last season and Seoul have been in patchy form, last winning consecutive league matches in March and prevailing in three of their last nine games.
Lingard also scored the winner in their last match, scoring a penalty in a 1-0 victory at Daejeon Hana on Sunday.
Barcelona v Seoul expected line-ups
Barcelona starting XI: Sotorres; Araujo, Martinez, Christensen, Kounde; Olmo, De Jong; Bardghji, Yamal, Rashford; Lewandowksi
Seoul starting XI: Kang Hyun-moo; Kim Jin-su, Kim Joo-sung, Yazan, Choi Jun; Anderson, Moon Seon-min, Hwang Do-yun, Jeong Seung-won; Klimala, Lingard
Is Barcelona v FC Seoul on TV? Live stream, TV channel
Kick-off is at 12:00 BST / 07:00 ET / 04:00 PT on Thursday. Barcelona’s two remaining game of their Asian tour will be free to air on their YouTube channel.
Barcelona v Seoul stats
- Barcelona have gone seven pre-season away friendlies unbeaten away from their home city over 90 minutes, since a 5-3 defeat to Arsenal in Inglewood on July 26, 2023.
- Their last away defeat in Spain was on November 10 (1-0 at Real Sociedad), although they have lost their last two on the road in the Champions League, 4-3 at Inter Milan in the semi-finals on May 6 and 3-1 at Borussia Dortmund on April 15.
- Including friendlies, six of Barca’s last seven games away from Barcelona have featured more than two goals, and they have scored in the second half in each of the last six such games.
- Rashford could become the first male English player to start a Barcelona game since Gary Lineker against Real Zaragoza on June 20, 1987.
- Forty-three years after their formation, Seoul’s win over Daejeon Hana made them the third Korean club to win 500 games in the top division, following Ulsan (who now have 554 wins ) and Pohang (540).
- Five of Seoul’s last seven games in all competitions contained fewer than three goals, although two contained five each.
- Seoul have scored the third-fewest goals (27) in the K League 1 and conceded the second-fewest (23), with only leaders Jeonbuk bettering their defensive record.
- Lingard has three goals and two assists in his last five starts in all competitions.
Barcelona v FC Seoul prediction
Seoul’s investment in their forward line should give Barcelona test of the kind they faced in Kobe, where they were pegged back for 35 minutes after Pau Cubarsi’s mistake..
The intense heat they have been working in could have a draining effect, but the difference in quality between the squads could result in a 4-2 win for the visitors.
Barcelona pre season fixtures 2025/26
July 31: Seoul (A), 12:00 / 07:00 ET / 04:00 PT
August 4: Daegu (A), 12:00 BST / 07:00 ET / 04:00 PT
August 10: Como (Estadi Johan Cruyff), 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
When does Barcelona’s 2025/26 LaLiga season start?
Barca start their season at Mallorca, who finished 10th last season, on Saturday, August 16 at 16:30 BST.
They are expected to play at least their first three league games of the season away while work on their Camp Nou stadium is completed, meaning they will not play a home match until mid-September at the earliest.
The first instalment of El Classico in 2025/26 will be on Matchweek 10 in late October, when Barca travel to Real Madrid.
