FC Barcelona has released its preseason schedule for the 2017-18 season starting in late July. Who will the Blaugrana start the season against?
The era of Ernesto Valverde begins in July as Barcelona starts their preseason tour of the United States. In the preseason, Barca’s coaching staff will begin to see what kind of talent that the team currently has. The team finds ways to improve going into the La Liga and Champions League campaign.
Despite winning one trophy last season, Barca is looking toward a bounce back after a disappointing 2017 campaign. At the end, 2017 featured a 2nd place finish in La Liga and an early Champions League exit. Although last season was a struggle, 2018 looks to be a way to avenge their defeats. Overall, the MSN trident still looks great. However, there needs to be improvement in the midfield and in defense.
Here is the preseason schedule for Barcelona:
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July 23rd vs. Juventus at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
July 27th vs. Manchester United at Fedex Field in Landover, MD.
July 29th vs. Real Madrid at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
August 7th vs. Chapecoense at Camp Nou (Joan Gamper Trophy).
August 12th/13th and 15th/16th vs. Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup).
Overall, the match that stands out for me this preseason is the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Brazilian side Chapecoense. By now, everyone should know the tragic story of the teams plane crash on their way to the final of the Copa Sudamericana against Atletico Nacional of Colombia. 71 people lost their lives in that crash including 19 that were involved with the team. Despite the tragedy, many classy gestures from football clubs around the world came pouring in.
The team was given the Copa Sudamericana title as requested by Atletico Nacional. In addition to that, they were given $2 million in prize money from CONMEBOL. Also, Barca offered an invite to Camp Nou for a preseason match, hence why they’ll be playing on August 7th. Many former stars have offered to play for the team including Ronaldinho and Juan Roman Riquelme. Overall, this shows what the sport of football is all about.
Next: Players Barca Should Sign
Overall, it is a great preseason test for the Blaugrana. At the end of the preseason, Barca will get to play in a two leg Clasico series against Real Madrid. They’ll be playing for the Spanish Super Cup as Barca won the Copa Del Rey and Real Madrid won La Liga. Hopefully, the team has some new faces as the fans are hoping for a good transfer window. Ernesto Valverde will be tested to begin the season. We’ll see if he delivers good results.