Inter Miami vs Barca: team news, expected line-up and match preview as Raphinha and Andreas Christensen are set to make their debut.
Barcelona will play a preseason friendly against MLS team Inter Miami on Tuesday night as part of their preparations for the 2022–23 season.
The Catalan team drew 1-1 with Olot in their first preseason match on July 13, while Inter Miami defeated Charlotte FC 3-2 on Saturday night in the MLS.
Emerson Rodriguez scored the game’s deciding fifth goal in the game’s 93rd minute to give Inter Miami a 3-2 victory against Charlotte on Saturday night. Phil Neville’s team had fallen down two goals going into that game.
With 25 points from their first 20 games of the season, the outcome put the Herons in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
On July 23, Inter Miami will play again in the Major League Soccer against New York City, but before that, Inter Miami will play Barcelona in a glamorous friendly at the DRV PNK Stadium.
De Andre Yedlin, Kieran Gibbs, and Gonzalo Higuain are among the players on Neville’s team; the latter scored against Charlotte last time out after coming off the bench.
David Beckham has a stake in the Miami team, which was only created in 2018. The team is still associated to some of the top players in the world, including as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neville told reporters before to the game, “My squad and I believe it to be the biggest match in the history of the club. “An Inter Miami game was the first time this stadium has ever been sold out.”
While all was going on, Barcelona began their preseason against Olot on July 13 and drew 1-1, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring for the Catalan giants.
As part of their preseason tour, Xavi’s team has now arrived in the United States, where they will play Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Juventus, and New York Red Bulls.
After that, on August 7, Barcelona will play Pumas in the Joan Gamper Trophy. On August 13, they will host Rayo Vallecano to begin the 2022–23 La Liga season.
Despite their financial difficulties, the Catalan team made some significant acquisitions this summer, including the signings of Rapha and Robert Lewandowski from Leeds United and Bayern Munich, respectively, as well as the free-agent additions of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
With Frenkie de Jong still being strongly connected with a move to Manchester United, the club is under pressure to make a significant transfer this summer in order to balance the books. However, it’s reported that the Netherlands international is still unwilling to leave Camp Nou.
Robbie Robinson and Ian Fray of Inter Miami will undoubtedly be out injured once more, while Ariel Lassiter and Brek Shea of the host team are questionable.
Damion Lowe was also replaced at halftime of the previous match against Charlotte FC, thus former Arsenal defender Gibbs may start at the back.
Higuain will be hoping for the opportunity to play against Barcelona, but it’s likely that he’ll start the game on the bench as Leonardo Campana is slated to once again be the line leader.
Lewandowski is now in Miami with his new Barcelona colleagues, so there is a potential that the seasoned striker may make his Catalan team debut in this game.
While Kessie, who recently played 45 minutes against Olot, will be aiming to appear for his new team for the second time, Christensen and Raphinha may also make their debuts.
This summer, highly regarded youngster Pablo Torre also relocated to Barcelona, and the Spaniard plans to make another appearance on Tuesday night.
Gavi, Pedri, and Ferran Torres may all be in Xavi’s starting lineup, while Ousmane Dembele, who returned to the team last week, may also play after joining last week.
De Jong’s role in light of the latest rumors will also need to be decided.
Barca Expected line-up
Raphinha is expected to make his Barcelona debut against Inter Miami, but it’s unknown if Robert Lewandowski will play as he is yet to be presented as a Barcelona player.
The Polish striker is with the squad in Miami, but he is not expected to feature in the game against Inter Miami, but he could make his debut against Real Madrid.
