La Liga giants look to twist knife in Japan
FRAUD CASE AGAINST MESSI SHELVED
YOKOHAMA: Barcelona were mobbed by Japanese fans on Monday after holding their first training session at the Club World Cup.
The European champions, bidding to become the first team to win the competition three times, held a gentle run-out in Yokohama after being greeted like rock stars on their arrival in Japan earlier in the day.
Brazilian star Neymar, who is struggling with a groin strain, sat out the practice but his strike partners Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez appeared in a relaxed mood as they prepared for Thursday’s semi-final against Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.
“Obviously Guangzhou have proved they are a strong team,” Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets told reporters. “We know they have a good mix of decent players, including some Brazilians, and we won’t be taking the game lightly. Hopefully we can play our style of football because we have come to Japan to win the title again.”
Barca players posed briefly for photos and signed autographs for fans, with Messi and Andres Iniesta drawing their loudest cheers from a crowd of around 200 mostly local fans.
Despite drawing their last three
games, two in La Liga bookending a 1-1 deadlock at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, Barca’s spirits will have been lifted after Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat by Villarreal on Sunday.
That result leaves Real five points adrift of Barcelona at the top of the league, providing the Catalans with a tonic after flying 6,600 miles to play in the Far East.