Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring the first goal against Manchester United, April 16, 2019. ― Reuters pic
TOKYO, April 18 — Barcelona will travel to Japan to play pre-season games against Chelsea and Andres Iniesta’s J-League club Vissel Kobe in July, the Spanish giants announced today. The runaway La Liga leaders take on English side Chelsea in Saitama on July 23 and on July 27 face Kobe, the club Barca legend Iniesta joined last year after helping the Catalans scoop 32 trophies in a glittering career.“It’s wonderful that we can play Barcelona at our stadium,” said Iniesta, who joined Kobe last May for a reported US$30 million a year and plays alongside former Barca and Spain team mate David Villa.
Chelsea, beaten finalists at the 2012 Club World Cup in Japan, are also scheduled to play J-League side Kawasaki Frontale on July 19 as part of their pre-season plans. —AFP