Joan Garcia, Yamal start in a 4-2-3-1 – How Barcelona can line up against FC Seoul | OneFootball

After their resounding 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe in their first pre-season game of the season, Barcelona have travelled to Seoul in South Korea for the second phase of their tour.

On Thursday, they will take on local heroes FC Seoul in their second pre-season friendly as they look to prepare for the long season ahead. Given that the local side are mid-way through their season and fourth on the standings, they will be in good touch.

Hansi Flick had several positives to take away from the game last week and will look to build on the same and continue experimenting tomorrow night.

The players who feature tomorrow will remain the same, but the dynamic that unfolds on the field will be in the manager’s control. His selection of lineups, needless to say, counts for a lot as it will test specific chemistries based on his choice.

Barça Universal brings you the predicted lineups for Barcelona vs FC Seoul for each half of the game.

Barcelona potential lineup vs FC Seoul for the first half

For the first half of the game, the manager is likely to persist with Joan Garcia as the starting option in goal, as switching up the order in that department will not make a major difference.

Lamine Yamal in line to start vs FC Seoul. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

In defence, however, Flick could look to switch partnerships up and test pairs for their coherence. In that sense, Pau Cubarsi and Andreas Christensen could start centrally while Jules Kounde and Jofre Torrents could play at right-back and left-back.

A double-pivot of Pedri and Marc Casado, which provided stability for much of last season, would be a good experiment to go back to, especially given the performance the latter dropped in Japan. Dani Olmo, meanwhile, could start in the attacking midfield.

The forward line, in all probability, will feature Raphinha and Lamine Yamal on the left and right wings, respectively. As part of the rotation, however, Ferran Torres could start as the number nine.

Second half

After the half-time break, the manager will look to switch things up from the grassroots level of the lineup, and Wojciech Szczesny, as he did against Vissel Kobe, is expected to come on.

Ronald Araujo and Inigo Martinez, given the pace and ball-playing ability they bring to the table, respectively, could come in at central defence in the second half as an interesting dynamic.

Alejandro Balde can provide freshness at left-back while Eric Garcia is expected to start at right-back, thus ensuring at least one regular starting full-back is on the field at all times.

More minutes for Rashford. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

Frenkie de Jong and Gavi are expected to take the position of Pedri and Casado after the break and will look to form a formidable double-pivot combination. Fermin Lopez, after a disappointing night in Kobe, will hope to make an impact in place of Olmo.

Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji and Robert Lewandowski, who broke down the Vissel Kobe defence with ease in the second half last week, will likely feature once more in attack in the second period.

The likes of Dro, Guille Fernandez and Toni Fernandez could all see minutes too, albeit in the later stages of the game as brief cameos.