Valerenga vs Barcelona July 27, 2013

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Norwegian side Valerenga hosts Barcelona on Saturday in what will be a midseason game for the hosts, and a second preseason game for the Spanish side.

As stated on Barcelona's website, the game was set up as part of of Valerenga's 100-year anniversary celebrations. The two sides have met in a similar situation before, with Barcelona coming out 4-2 winners in an encounter before the 2010/11 campaign.

One of the main points of interest for this match will be the arrival of Barcelona's new coach, Gerardo Martino.

The result won't be of major importance for either side, as Valerenga will be enjoying the celebrations, and the opposition, while Barcelona will be focused more on the fitness and well-being of their players.

Here is a complete preview of the match, with the latest team news and a projected lineup for Barcelona.



Valerenga Team News

It's been two weeks since Valerenga has played a match of any kind, and they will be using this Barcelona fixture as a tune-up for the return of Norwegian league play.

They play against Sarpsborg SK just two days after the Barcelona match.

Valerenga currently sits in eighth place in the Tippeligaen. They have a record of six wins, three draws and seven losses.

The Norwegian side will likely start with their strongest squad and then make changes in order to be ready for their next league game.


Barcelona Team News

Though Gerardo Martino is set to be presented to the media in Spain on Friday, it's likely that he could fly out to meet his side before their game on Saturday. If he does, it will be interesting to see what he may or may not do.

The Blaugrana played their first preseason game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday and lost 2-0. The game against Valerenga presents the second of six preseason games before the season kicks off.

With first-team players like Andres Iniesta, Pique and the newly signed Neymar still on holiday, Barcelona will likely line up as they did against Bayern Munich.

Barcelona Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Pinto; Martin Montoya, Marc Bartra, Javier Mascherano, Adriano; Jonathan dos Santos, Alex Song, Sergi Roberto; Alexis Sanchez, Lionel Messi, Cristian Tello



Valerenga: Mohammed Fellah

Mohammed Fellah recently made his way into the Norwegian national team setup, making his debut for the side in January of this year.

The attacking midfielder has missed most of the season so far through injury, but he may turn out against Barcelona after playing in Valerenga's last game.


Barcelona: Alex Song

Alex Song will have a lot to prove in his second season at Barcelona, and a good way start off a positive campaign is to play well in preseason.

The Cameroonian midfielder should have a fairly simple game, considering the opposition, but cannot take anything for granted. Any poor slips in a game like this could give his new boss cause to question whether he should remain at the club.

Manchester United vs Cerezo Osaka July 26, 2013

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In a fast summer tour, the Red Devils will be taking on the J-League club Cerezo Osaka on Friday in a tune-up for the approaching season.

While getting in shape will remain the top priority for the Red Devils in this match, they undoubtedly would also like to earn a winning result. On Tuesday, David Moyes' squad fell 3-2 to the Yokohama F-Marinos.

With the Cerezo Osaka match scheduled for Friday, the Red Devils don't have a lot of time off. However, travel will be a bit easier than it was when they made the jump from Australia to Japan prior to the F-Marinos contest. It's just going to be a ride on the bullet train this time.

When: July 26 at 6 a.m. ET, 11 a.m. BST

Where: Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

United conceded early and late goals to lose 3-2 to Yokohama F•Marinos on Tuesday in the third game of Tour 2013 presented by Aon. The Reds are likely to be in for a similarly tough test against Cerezo Osaka, who have won four of their last six J-League games, including a 2-1 win over the Marinos a fortnight ago, and are fifth in the table.

Ins and outs: Robin van Persie is fit after being taken off as a precaution in Yokohama with a thigh strain. David Moyes is set to make use of his full squad to cope with the heat in Osaka but expects Danny Welbeck to play. Michael Carrick (groin) is still a doubt, while Shinji Kagawa is almost certain to play some part against his former club.

Arsenal vs Urawa Red July 26, 2013

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Arsenal will look to complete an undefeated Asia tour with one more friendly against Urawa Red Diamonds.

So far this preseason, the English club has already defeated the Indonesia Dream Team, Vietnam and Nagoya Grampus by a combined score of 17-2. The squad will look to keep that strong play going with a matchup against one of the top clubs in the J-League.

The Arsenal vs Urawa Red Diamonds Asia Tour friendly will be this Friday, July 26, 2013 (3:30 AM Pacific) at the Saitama Stadium. Arsenal will play in their 4th preseason match in Asia, where they have won 3 out of 3 games, while scoring a staggering 17 goals, and receiving 2. Arsene Wenger’s team will use Friday’s game as an opportunity to demonstrate which players are capable of belonging to the first-team squad.

Arsenal has had a very strong preseason on their trip to Asia. Yes they have scored 17 goals in 3 matches, but their opponents have not been high quality (tell that to Manchester United who has lost in Asia 2 out 3 games). Nonetheless, their match against Urawa Reds will allow coach Wenger to play youth players who are battling for a place in the first-team, rather than being loaned by the start of the season. With less than a month remaining until the start of the Premier League, it will be important to fix any remaining problems before the matches start to count.

When: Friday, July 26

Time: 11:30 a.m. BST

Where: Saitama Stadium, Japan

Chelsea vs Indonesia July 25, 2013

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Jose Mourinho will take charge of Chelsea in the final match of the Asian leg of their pre-season tour, and the third since the 'Special One's' return to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues' warm-up matches have gone well, kicking off with a 1-0 win over the Singha All-Stars before beating a Malaysia XI 4-1 last week.

They take on the BNI Indonesia All-Stars with a chance to make it three out of three before jetting off to the States, and Sportsmail will have all the action live, including updates from our reporter in Jakarta, Matt Barlow.

Japan vs Australia July 25, 2013

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Socceroos head coach Holger Osieck must re-structure his midfield if Australia is to have any sort of impact in their maiden East Asian Cup appearance. The Socceroos barely touched the ball throughout Saturday's 0-0 draw with hosts South Korea and only escaped with a point due to a phenomenal performance from goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.

Galekovic made a string of impressive saves to keep a clean sheet in Seoul but Osieck will undoubtedly have been disappointed in the failure of his midfielders, Mark Milligan, Dario Vidosic and Ruben Zadkovich, plus substitute Erik Paartalu, to gain any sort of ascendency against the South Koreans.

Osieck's decision to play Zadkovich for the entire 90 minutes was hard to fathom due to the Newcastle Jets captain's poor passing. On Saturday, Zadkovich regularly just thumped the ball long rather than trying to pick out a Socceroos teammate and Osieck has a number of options, who could replace the 27-year-old.

Matt McKay, one of the few experienced players in Australia's squad, could be shifted centrally after struggling to get involved as a left-winger versus South Korea, while Aaron Mooy deserves a chance after a strong campaign with A-League premiers Western Sydney Wanderers last season.

Osieck may also be tempted to play Archie Thompson as the central striker against Japan as the Melbourne Victory veteran seemed almost stranded on the right wing in the Socceroos East Asian Cup opener.

If Thompson does play down the middle and McKay is picked in central midfield, Mitch Nichols, Craig Goodwin, Adam Taggart and Connor Pain could all play a role out wide.