Barcelona Is Leicester's Pre-Season Daddy

Yes, pre-season matches are merely shakedown cruises.

But since the rubber won't meet the road until the season starts, they're often played with a highly entertaining abandon.

Such was the case when the old-guard Spanish titlists met the upstart English champions in that contrived exhibition series known as the International Champions Cup.

In this clash for out-of-market cash, Barcelona demolished underdog Leicester City to the tune of a 4-2 scoreline.

Barça may have some of the game's biggest names under contract, but their pipeline of young and promising talent keeps churning out the next wave of hot stars. In this match, it was Munir El Haddadi putting his promising future on display:

Luis Suárez then struck one for the status quo:

Dude's the definition of a top-notch striker.

Those two showed a bit of chemistry when Munir bagged his brace after Suárez sent him the most delicious of passes:

Looks like Leicester City needs to wake up from last season's fairy tale.

Ahmed Firaz Musa was the first Fox to come alive:

City's £16million acquisition wasted no time getting an encore, netting his second of the match with an absolute cracker:

Barça had the last word, though, with a bit of insurance as Rafa Mújica popped the fourth:

So, Leicester's been informally christened, which should serve them in good stead when the rubber really meets the road in the Champions League.