View Single Post
Old 26-07-2017, 06:03 PM   #2
Andi Istiabudi
manager
 
Andi Istiabudi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Jakarta
Posts: 33,888
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2,334 Times in 1,748 Posts
Mentioned: 146 Post(s)
Andi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to beholdAndi Istiabudi is a splendid one to behold


Default Re: [2017 Pre Season] Barcelona vs Manchester United



PREVIEW: FC BARCELONA V MANCHESTER UNITED

So, four down, three to go... That's right! Manchester United made it four wins from four during Tour 2017, presented by Aon, on Sunday by beating Spanish and European champions Real Madrid on penalties in Santa Clara. Next up, the Reds face another of La Liga's giants, Barcelona, looking for a fifth victory in the US before continuing pre-season preparations in Europe. The clash will be held at the 82,000-seater FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, and is expected to draw the biggest crowd of this summer's trip. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:30 local time on Wednesday 26 July (00:30 BST on 27 July).

How can I watch it? Fans who subscribe to MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club’s MUTV app or online at the recently launched mutv.com have access to watch all of the team’s pre-season games. With no extra cost to subscribers, fans can watch all seven of United’s tour games live.

What happened in our previous tour games? Well, as mentioned, the Reds secured a shoot-out victory over Real on Sunday, following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. David De Gea saved two spot-kicks, but it was Anthony Martial's superb assist for United's goal that will be replayed again and again. Last Thursday, the Reds claimed the bragging rights in the first-ever Manchester derby to be held outside of the UK, running out 2-0 winners over City in Houston thanks to first-half goals from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford. Just days earlier, Lukaku scored his first goal for the club during a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, after Mourinho's men had kicked off this year's tour by breezing past LA Galaxy.

Any team news? United will wait to confirm the severity of Ander Herrera's injury, after the midfielder was forced off against Real, while Juan Mata remains doubtful for the Barça clash after suffering a knock in the win over Real Salt Lake, though he trained alone on Monday. Meanwhile, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young - all of whom travelled with the squad to the United States - are still long-term absentees. Speaking in his post-match press conference on Sunday, Mourinho said: "These next three days in DC are not a problem. After that we have two more matches to play in Norway and Ireland, travelling on the same day with short flights. I'm really happy with our pre-season. If Mata and Ander are not long-term problems then I would say it is perfect."

What about our opponents? Good question. Wednesday's match will be Barcelona's second of the summer, after Ernesto Valverde's side kicked off their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 win over last season's Champions League finalists Juventus. After facing United, Barça then travel to Miami to take on rivals Real, before playing against Brazilian side Chapecoense, who are still recovering from last November's tragic plane crash, in which 20 of the club's players and staff died.

What else is coming up? Following our final match in America, the Reds will take on Norwegian side Valerenga in Oslo on Sunday 30 July, before completing Tour 2017 in Dublin, Ireland against Italian outfit Sampdoria. Then, it's the small matter of the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid in Macedonia on 8 August, before the 2017/18 Premier League campaign gets under way.

www.manutd.com
Andi Istiabudi is offline