Barcelona's Rafinha (L) in action with Manchester United's Andreas Pereira. (Photo : Reuters)
Premier League champions Chelsea FC faces La Liga winners FC Barcelona as the 2015 International Champions Cup friendlies move into its final few games. The match is set at the FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on Tuesday, July 28.
The Blues had an up-and-down stint in this preseason so far as it dropped its tournament opener to MLS team New York Red Bulls, 2-4.
However, José Mourinho's squad bounced back in their second game as they nipped French champs Paris Saint-Germain in penalties, 1-1 (6-5), on Saturday at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, as reported by the Mirror.
Barça was having the same preseason as they won their first game against MLS titleholders LA Galaxy, 2-1, but lost their next versus European powerhouse Manchester United, 1-3.
Luis Enrique's men were undermanned without stars Lionel Messi and Neymar and were no match against the Red Devils' attacks. Brazilian forward Rafinha put the Spanish club on the board near the end but it was too late, as per ESPN.
While this is actually a preseason affair, it promises to be a highly entertaining match as the teams are filled with world football stars even with the absence of two from Barcelona. Hardcore football fans would certainly enjoy watching Diego Costa and Luis Suárez try to outscore each other.
Prediction: A 2-0 win by Chelsea over Barça. The Pensioners aim to treat this tourney as an opportunity to sharpen Mourinho's plays to defend the title next season. Meanwhile, Barcelona is in it mainly for brand awareness as Enrique's best players are still on vacation.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Courtois; Luís, Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic; Matic, Fabregas; Hazard, Oscar, Willian; Costa
Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): ter Stergen; Piqué, Alba, Vermaelan, Adriano; Busquets, Iniesta, Roberto; Rafinha, Pedro, Suárez
