Barcelona 1-0 Manchester United ICC 2017: match report
LAFC vs LA Galaxy: Vela vs Zlatan live online, MLS week 25
Barcelona 1-0 Manchester United: match report
Manchester United looked to remain unbeaten in the preseason as they faced Barcelona in FedEx field in Washington on Wednesday night. With rumours swirling around about Neymar, Barcelona were looking to build on a solid opening against Juventus in their first game in the States this summer.
The game was open from the get-go and it was clear that whatever scrutiny Neymar was under, he was leaving all the of that off the field. In their first start together in the preseason, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and the Brazilian looked sharp and looked to pick United's fragile looking defense off time and time again. If it wasn't for David de Gea in the opening minutes, it might have been 3-0 after 10 minutes.
United were looking decent at times too and Paul Pogba's willingness to try and create for Romelu Lukaku was proving they have life in their attack. Marcus Rashford, arguably United's best player this preseason was also looking dangerous and was proving a handful for Barcelona's defense.
Pogba had a strong effort that Cillessen gather in his chest but might have gone through him if it was any harder. Messi had a handful of chances that he would normally tuck away but the ball wouldn't fall kindly enough to him.
He didn't score in the opening 45 but he was involved in the only goal. He put Neymar through on the left but left him short as Antonio Valencia intercepted. Neymar came around the Ecuadorian and he fell on the ground only for Neymar to poke home from almost point-blank range and with David de Gea looking on helplessly.
Luis Suárez had a good effort from an acrobatic volley after Mesis popped a free through to him but De Gea was quick to get down and save again as the score remained 1-0 and with a host of changes at the break.
Jose Mourinho made just four changes to his side but will be disappointed that his side could not create more against a completely new Barcelona side save for Jasper Cillessen in goals.
Anthony Martial had a chance that he curled over with his first involvement and Paco Alcacer simply had to score before Romero turned the ball around the post as he broke free when Eric Bailly got caught out watching the flight of the ball over his head.
It remained 1-0 to Barcelona deep into the game and while Manchester Until looked like the more likely party to get a goal, it never arrived. A late chance for United came when Martial found himself with the ball in the box but Aleix Vidal slid in to win it back and Rashford drove over just second later as time expired.
Mourinho has work to do in the next week to make sure United are primed for Real Madrid while Barcelona will be glad of the 45 minutes their first team put in to start the game in preperation for El Clásico in just a few days time.
Barcelona vs Manchester United: live stream online latest news
Barcelona vs Manchester United: live stream match preview
Two of the biggest clubs in world football meet tonight in the International Champions Cup, as Barcelona face Manchester United in the FedEx Field, Washington DC. Although fitness and preparation, rather than the result, are the ultimate aims of this game for the opposing managers, taking any confidence boost so close to the start of the season would be very much welcomed. The game kicks off at 19:30 local time (01:30 CEST on Thursday morning) and we're building up to our live coverage throughout the day.
Barcelona: International Champions Cup
Barcelona will be delighted to focus once again on football. The last fortnight has been primarily filled with daily speculation over the transfer to PSG of their Brazilian star, Neymar. As the narrative of the story has swung to and from Paris, along with the inter-related potential signings, the club's new manager Ernesto Valverde will hope it is resolved as soon as possible to allow him to work with the final squad ahead of what will be a busy, and challenging start to the season.
This is the second pre-season match for the Catalan side, and there was early optimism for Valverde as he watched his team beat Italian champions, and European finalists, Juventus 2-1. Potentially frustrating for him, given the current situation, Neymar was the star of the show, and gave a sign of just how much he could be missed if he was to leave ahead of the new season.
Despite there being an ICC Clásico in Miami in a few days, the two-legged Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid is what he is building towards. Many will choose to see that duel as a marker for the 2017/18 campaign so this test against United (who should be sharper being further into their preparations) will allow him to see more of his squad in action while honing some of the tactics employed during his short tenure to date. Expect Neymar, Messi and Suárez to all be given a chance to fully test David De Gea and the United back line.
Manchester United: International Champions Cup
Although individual fitness and gelling the XI on the pitch is of utmost importance, United manager, José Mourinho made it clear that he wants to get the upper hand in these pre-season quasi-competitive matches. He was quick to point to his team outplaying a Real Madrid side "only missing Ramos and Cristiano" in the first half of the 1-1 draw at the weekend, which the Red Devils then won 2-1 on penalties.
Again it will be a chance for Mourinho to try out various combinations, with a mix of youth and experience at his disposal, with one particular desire to keep new signing Romelu Lukaku amongst the goals. Another player that sparked life into the game against Madrid was Anthony Martial whose dazzling footwork created the tap-in for Jesse Lingard. His manager asked for more consitency from the Frenchman in a bid to give him more regular starts and this game is another chance for him to show what he is capable of when the pressure is light.
Barcelona vs Manchester United live stream online: betting
A tie between two giants of European football is the outside result in Washington with a draw between the AzulGrana outfit and Red Devils paying out at 4/1.