It is arguably the biggest international club friendly of the week. Two-time UEFA Champions League winning coach Alex Ferguson takes on Tito Vilanova’s Barcelona. Winning is important for both clubs although there is nothing competitive at sake.
Football fans are likely to see a blend of fringe players and well-known stars in action. Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney are three Manchester United key players expected to feature against Barcelona in Sweden.
However, the man everyone wants to see is Lionel Messi. The Argentine captained the Catalans in their latest fixture. That was against Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s PSG at the Parc des Princes in France.
After conceding a 2-0 lead, Barca dominated the penalty shoot-out. Pinto’s terrific saves in post simply proved the calibre of the club’s second-choice players.
Manchester United vs Barcelona represents yet another chance for coach Tito Vilanova to assess his team as the 2012/13 campaign in Spain kicks off later this month. For Sir Alex Ferguson, the club football season comes up earlier.
This explains why Manchester United vs Barcelona is the Red Devils’ penultimate international club friendly. Watch Fergie guide his hungry team against Spanish Copa del Rey titleholders Barcelona. Players to watch are Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa and Barcelona's David Villa.
In Canada, watch Manchester United vs Barcelona live on The Score. FOX Soccer Channel and FOX Deportes continue their live coverage of summer friendlies with the live broadcast of this match starting at 2:00pm EST. In Africa, SuperSport 3 Africa and SuperSport 10 are the channels to watch.
Other stations to air Manchester United vs Barcelona live include MUTV, Digi Sport 1 and the fast-growing beIN Sport 1.
