FC Barcelona to play friendly match against Malaysian XI

FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich said the date was the most suitable for the Catalan club to hold its pre-season tour matches as most of the club's players were expected to be called up for international duty with their respective countries, soon after.

"During the month of Aug, the transfer window for players will be opened and the European club, including Barcelona, will be busy searching for new players to strengthen the team," he told reporters after the official announcement of the match here, Thursday.

Barcelona in their website had earlier announced that they would play three exhibition matches during their pre-season Asian Tour this Aug, including a match in Shanghai on Aug 3 and Bangkok, Thailand, four days later.

Rossich said they would be fielding their first team during the match against the Malaysian XI Selection on Aug 10.

The match promoter BSC Soccer (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Effendi Jagan Abdullah was confident that the local football fans would come to the stadium in droves to watch the exciting match.

"We are quite optimistic of filling the stadium although the date will clash with the festive season. With good marketing strategies, we can draw a large crowd," he said.

Ticket sales for the match go on sale starting today and tickets are priced at RM668 for VIP seating while normal seating tickets range from RM98 to RM388 and available at locations like One Utama shopping mall, Suria KLCC, Midvalley shopping mall, The Curve and Subang Parade.

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah who was also present at the launch said national players should fully utilise the match to hone their skills, besides gaining valuable exposure by playing with the star-studded team.

"This is the first time a Spanish club is setting foot on our home turf...so I hope our boys, especially young players can gain good exposure through this match," he said.