Preview: FC Seoul vs Barcelona – prediction, team news

Barcelona will continue their preparations for the new season when they face FC Seoul in Wednesday’s friendly at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The Catalan giants began their pre-season schedule with a win over Vissel Kobe, while the South Korean side enter the friendly on the back of a narrow win over Daejon in K League 1.

Match preview

With the focus on the 2025-26 campaign, Hansi Flick will be aware that he faces a tough task to match the success of his first season in the Barcelona dugout.

Flick led the Catalan giants to a domestic treble, comfortably beating Real Madrid to the league title, while also seeing off their Clasico rivals in the finals of the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

Barcelona also made progress in the Champions League, reaching the semi-final stage for the first time since 2018-19 before falling agonisingly short against Inter Milan.

The Blaugrana have made three additions since the end of their treble-winning season, including the arrival of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from local rivals Espanyol.

Marcus Rashford has also arrived on a season-long loan deal from Manchester United, while highly-rated prospect Roony Bardghji has joined the club from FC Copenhagen. 

All of those three signings played some part in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe in Japan, including a first Barcelona goal for Bardghji.

Eric Garcia and Pedro Fernandez also got on the scoresheet, ensuring the Blaugrana will be looking for back-to-back wins when they face Seoul on Wednesday, before they wrap up their pre-season schedule with games against Daegu and Como.

While Barcelona are preparing for a new season, Seoul will put their K League 1 campaign on hold for a friendly encounter against the Spanish champions.

Kim Gi-dong’s side are currently sitting in fourth place in the standings after winning nine, drawing nine and losing six of their 24 league matches.

Seoul are 18 points adrift of runaway leaders Jeonbuk Motors, but they are just three points away from second-placed Gimcheon, giving them a clear objective for the remainder of the league season. 

They should head into Thursday’s friendly in a positive mood after winning three of their last four league matches, including a narrow victory in Sunday’s away clash with Daejeon.

Jesse Lingard’s 56th-minute penalty proved enough to secure all three points, as the Seoul captain took his tally to seven league goals for the season. 

After enjoying success on their travels, they will now return to the Seoul World Cup Stadium, where they have won two of their previous three matches.

The South Korean side will hope to put up a strong showing against one of the world’s biggest clubs, before they return to domestic action in next month’s home fixture against Daegu. 

FC Seoul form (all competitions):

D W L W L W

Barcelona Club Friendlies form:

D

Team News

Seoul will have to assess the fitness of Patryk Klimala, who is a doubt after sitting out the last two league matches against Jeju and Daejeon.

Defender Jun Choi could return to the starting lineup after missing Sunday’s narrow victory through suspension. 

Former Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard will be looking to continue his fine form, having scored in three of his last five appearances for Seoul.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are unable to call upon the services of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is set for a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to resolve a back issue.

Eric Garcia sat out Tuesday’s training session with a leg problem, making him an obvious doubt for Thursday’s friendly. 

Flick may alter his lineup from Sunday’s victory, with Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski among those who could come into the side.

FC Seoul possible starting lineup:

Kang; Choi, Al Arab, Kim Ju-sung, Kim Jin-su; Oliveira, Jeong, Hwang, Silva; Lingard, Cho 

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

J. Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

We say: FC Seoul 1-3 Barcelona

After picking up a win in their first pre-season outing, Barcelona will want to continue to build momentum and confidence in Thursday’s fixture in the South Korean capital, and we think the Catalan giants will showcase their firepower to claim a relatively comfortable victory. 

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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