Celtic vs Barcelona – International Champions Cup – Preview

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Sreya

Barcelona will face Scottish Premier League champions Celtic FC on 30th July at the Alvira Stadium, Dublin in the International Champions Cup as a part of their pre-season preparations.

Barcelona are coming off one of their best seasons in terms of their performance in the Spanish Primera Division, with Luis Enrique’s side winning a close race for the La Liga. Their display in the UEFA Champions League, however, was less than optimal with the Catalan club bowing out in the quarter-finals.

As the transfer market continues to get inflated, Barcelona are looking towards an influx of moderate investments on young talents. Samuel Umiti and Lucas Digne have arrived as reinforcements at Catalonia, in addition to Andre Gomes and loanee Denis Suarez, both of whom are expected to bolster Barcelona’s midfield strength.

Celtic Possible Starting Lineup: Gordon; Janko, Lustig, O’Connell; Roberts, McGregor, Brown, Armstrong, Izaguirre; Griffiths, Dembélé.

Barcelona Starting Lineup: Joel Masip; Sergi Roberto, Douglas Pereira, Jeremy Mathieu, Aleix Vidal; Arda Turan, Denis Suárez, SergiSamper; Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Christian Tello.

“In midfield, there are many players, and with the exit of Alves, the chance to play at full-back is a good one. They [the new signings] are good incorporations, they are young and can be at Barça for many years. We want to win everything, as always, and I personally want to play as much as possible.”

– Sergi Roberto, Barcelona.

According to Head-2-Head statistics, Barcelona and Celtic have faced each other in five competitive fixtures, with the Catalan club winning three and losing two of those matches. The last time these two clubs met were in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League when Barcelona hammered Celtic 6-1 after a shocking 1-0 defeat in Dublin.

Although Celtic began their pre-season against English Premier League champions Leicester City, it will be Barcelona’s first game going into the new season and Lionel Messi and co. could seem a little rusty. Barcelona are still expected to win 3-2.