Match preview: Liverpool v FC Barcelona

Match preview: Liverpool v FC Barcelona

The Catalans face The Reds in pre-season action on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London

FC Barcelona will be going for a clean sweep in their third and final friendly of the 2016 International Champions Cup when they take on Liverpool Saturday evening at Wembley Stadium in London. Kick-off is set for 5.15pm BST (6.15pm CET).

Team news

As more players have trickled back following summer tournaments with their respective national sides and extended vacations, Barça head coach Luis Enrique has named a 23-player squad list for the trip to London.

Goalkeepers Marc-André Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, midfielders Ivan Rakitic and Andrés Iniesta, and defenders Gerard Piqué, Thomas Vermaelen and Lucas Digne — who signed with the team this summer — are all making their first trip with the team this pre-season.

The remainder of the squad consists of Jordi Masip, Douglas, Sergio Busquets, Arda Turan, Luis Suárez, Leo Messi, Javier Mascherano, Munir El Haddadi, Sergi Roberto, Aleix Vidal, Jérémy Mathieu, Denis Suárez, Sergi Samper, Juan Cámara, Rafa Mujica and Jesús Alfaro.

Iniesta spoke to the media on Friday and, despite spending the majority of his press conference breaking down Barça’s objectives for the upcoming season, made it clear he was excited for another chance to play at the famed grounds on Saturday. "It's always nice to visit stadiums like Wembley," he said.

Form guide

FC Barcelona opened the pre-season last Saturday with a 3–1 victory over Celtic FC in Dublin, Ireland. They seconded the effort with a 4–2 victory over the reigning Premier League champs Leicester City in Stockholm, Sweden. Saturday’s bout with Liverpool gives the Catalans a shot at a perfect record in the pre-season friendly tournament.

Liverpool have garnered a win and a loss in the completion thus far. The Reds fell to Chelsea, 1–0, in their opener at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on 28 July, but redeemed themselves two days later with a 2–0 triumph over AC Milan at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Ones to watch

FC Barcelona striker Luis Suárez will most certainly be in the spotlight at Wembley, where he’ll be facing his former team for the first time. Suárez made 110 appearances for Liverpool from 2011 to 2014 and scored 69 goals. He joined FC Barcelona in the summer of 2014.

Worldwide TV coverage

No matter where you are in the world we have you covered. Twitter users can follow @FCBarcelona for live, minute-by-minute updates of all the action.

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