Vissel Kobe vs Barcelona: TV channel, live stream, team news & preview
Former Camp Nou stars Andres Iniesta, Sergi Samper and David Villa will get the unique chance to play against their former club on Saturday
Barcelona complete their tour of Japan with a match against Vissel Kobe at Misaki Park Stadium.
The Camp Nou side previously suffered a 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Tuesday, with Ivan Rakitic grabbing a stoppage-time consolation for Ernesto Valverde’s men.
Meanwhile, they face a Vissel outfit that has a strong Barca connection, with Sergi Samper, Andres Iniesta, David Villa and, as of Saturday, Thomas Vermaelen all on their books.
The Catalans’ old boys will be keen to show they can still cut it against their former side but have lost their last three in the J-League and hover just above the relegation zone.
| Game | Vissel Kobe vs Barcelona |
| Date | Saturday, July 27 |
| Time | 10:00am BST / 5:00am ET |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. It can be streamed via ESPN Deportes+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPN / ESPN Deportes | ESPN Deportes+ |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on FreeSports and can be streamed via Rakuten Sports.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| FreeSports | Rakuten Sports |
Vissel Kobe have been given the week off J-League action and start against Barcelona with their strongest team, with Andres Iniesta at its heart.
Former Germany star Lukas Podolski has been struggling with illness lately and misses out.
Confirmed Vissel Koba starting XI: Maekawa; Ogawa, Dankler, Miya, Hatsuse; Fujitani, Yamaguchi, Samper, Iniesta, Goke; Villa
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Neto |
| Defenders | Semedo, Pique, Todibo, Lenglet, Roberto, Umtiti, Alba, Araujo, Jaime |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, S. Busquets, Arthur, Rafinha, Alena, De Jong, Vidal, Alena, Perez, Collado, O. Busquets, Monchu, Puig |
| Forwards | Dembele, Griezmann, Malcom, Abe |
Gerard Pique will not play in Saturday’s game, with the club confirming he misses out due to a thigh niggle that no risks will be taken over.
Luis Suarez is back training in Barcelona after completing his summer holidays, while Lionel Messi and Philippe Coutinho are among the others who have yet to join up with the squad after international duty.
Confirmed Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Araujo, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Riqui Puig; Rafinha, Griezmann, Collado
Barcelona are favourites at 1/4 to win the match with bet365. Vissel are 9/1 outsiders while a draw is priced at 5/1.
Click here to see all of bet365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
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