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They are here. Barcelona is actually here.
In fact it was shortly after their last-round La Liga game – a 2-0 defeat to Villarreal – that FC Barcelona arrived at the airport on a long flight to Australia for a historic friendly match against the A-League All-Stars. Closed tonight
The make-up of the 20-member Barাa squad for the lone match at the Accor Stadium was confirmed earlier this week.
Although some players have been ruled out due to injuries or national selection, manager Xavi Hernandez is bringing in a squad with huge names as well as many future stars. As Brett Emerton put it, Barcelona’s youth system is like a window into the future of superstars.
When the list was shown by the media on Monday morning (well, I showed him the FC Barcelona tweet on my phone).
Dwight York, head coach of the A-League All-Stars, says the strength of the Barারa squad is not surprising.
“It goes without saying that they are a great team in terms of what they have brought to the table. And that’s why you expect a big crowd; They are world class players and a world class manager. We hope they are very entertaining and will be very hard to beat, “said York.
York added that very few people expected his team to win because of the bay in the class. And said that Barাa would travel about 24 hours from Barcelona via Darwin, landing in Sydney at 8am on Tuesday 36 hours after the game, his team got a “free shot”.
“You can’t really predict what the team might be like, they had a very tough game [against Villareal], And then fly straight here. So they probably have less than 48 hours to prepare for this game. So it’s going to be really hard for them. And that might give us some kind of opportunity to visit them with some respect.
“But still, you have to remember that you’re playing Barcelona, after all,” York said.
According to York, the Underdog status of the All-Stars could work for his team.
“A lot of people don’t expect us to overthrow Barcelona. So in many cases we got free shots from them. And hopefully some offensive football can throw at them.
“It’s a great opportunity for these young players to test themselves against one of the best teams in the world, to match themselves with the best players in world football and to see where they are.
“I’m sure one or two of them have the desire to play abroad, at this big club,” York said.
One player in the division is 17-year-old Garang Kuol, who has been working as a ‘super sub’ for coach York.
Originally from Victoria’s Golburn Valley Sons, Cowell has been drafted to the All-Star for his promising performances for the Central Coast Mariners, including one debut goal and three Trott on 9 goals, all off the bench.
Cool said Barcelona are a team full of top players. “They are a team of big names who have won trophies around the world,” Kuol said.
One of them is Danny Alvarez, whom Kool describes as “a monster.”
“I will stay away from him. But yes, we’ll see what happens to the team. We’ll see who Gaffar pulls out and we’ll get out of there, “said Kuol.
Kuol’s strength as a player is his speed and ability to move the ball forward on the pitch. Asked if superstar Barারa planned to dribble around the defenders, he said: “I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’ve scored a few goals here or there this season. There was a couple of help. But the team was in form – no one was able to stop us, “said Koul.
Quell’s Mariners teammate, 26-year-old Scottish-born striker Jason Cummings – who found himself on Graham Arnold’s Scarus radar with 10 goals in 20 matches and an Australian passport – said he only met York but was eager to learn from him.
“It will be good to get to know him in the next few days. As a striker, I was really thrilled সে the day he played again he was probably one of the best strikers in the world for me and you know his link up game was incredible.
So it would be good to pick his brain and learn some things, “said Cummings.
Note: Matt Cleary is currently under contract with VenuesLive, the manager of Acre Stadium. The Roar has agreed to release its promotional part for the Barcelona vs A-League All-Stars match.