There is a surprising amount of bad blood between Barcelona and AS Roma, giving fans some extra drama heading into their match on Tuesday night. The two clubs met in the Champions League Quarterfinals last year, with Roma pulling off one of the biggest upsets ever. Roma lost the first leg of their tie 4-1 in Camp Nou, and no one gave them a chance to win by three or more goals at home. However, they were able to do just that in order to shock the world and send Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League.
A couple weeks ago, Barcelona and Roma clashed again. Roma had agreed to a deal with Bordeaux for Malcom, with the club announcing that they had signed him pending a physical. However, Barcelona reached out to Bordeaux and were able to snag him away before the deal was completed. Roma has howled about the move, and the two clubs are no longer on amicable terms. That will add a little spice to this match.
The International Champions Cup brings some of the top clubs in Europe to cities around the world that normally don’t get to see top flight football. The match will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 10:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.
International Champions Cup Betting at BookMaker.eu
AS Roma +121
Barcelona +192
Draw +277
Over/Under 3 and 3.5
Last Matches
This will be Roma’s second match at the ICC. In their first match, Roma was obliterated by Tottenham 4-1. They were able to get on the board first with a Patrick Schick goal in the third minute, but the defense collapsed after that. Roma’s back line looked incredibly out of sorts, allowing four goals in the span of 35 minutes. Their opponents had numerous other opportunities too, with things only stabilizing once a couple regular starters came onto the pitch.
Barcelona will be playing its second match of the ICC as well. The club looked sharp through much of their opener, but a defensive lapse led to the match needing penalty kicks to decide a winner. Munir El Haddadi opened the scoring for the Blaugrana in the 15th minute, and new acquisition Arthur quickly doubled the lead afterwards. However, the defense allowed two goals in the span of three minutes in the second half. Barca was able to win penalties by a mark of 5-3 though to get three points.
Barcelona Player to Watch
Getting a goal from Arthur was a very encouraging sign for Barcelona. The club is looking at him for production in the midfield this year, and he is seen as a potential replacement for Andres Iniesta. His goal was a blistering rocket that showed off his power, touch, and finesse with the ball. Arthur’s passing was on display too in the match, with some very good decisions leading to chances against Tottenham. He will look to further ingratiate himself with manager Ernesto Valverde.
AS Roma Player to Watch
The addition of Javier Pastore this offseason really gave Roma the boost it needs to possibly contend for another deep run in the Champions League. Pastore was one of the top midfielders available as PSG needed to shed salary and contracts in order to adhere to FIFA Fair Play rules. He displayed the vision and the skill the club hoped for in the opener, with Schick openly praising him prior to their first match and again afterwards.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
There will be more defense than you typically see in an ICC match here. Roma and Barcelona will both want to prove themselves on the defensive side of the ball after last season’s result, and that will lead to a low scoring game that finishes under.
International Champions Cup Odds: Barcelona 1, AS Roma 1
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