Details for the annual Joan Gamper trophy have been confirmed, with the Blaugrana set to face Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the pre-season showdown.
The exhibition match has been confirmed by AS for August 8th at 8pm local time at the Olympic Stadium, where Barcelona will play whilst the Camp Nou is being redeveloped.
This will be the second time Spurs feature in the competition, but they have never faced Barcelona, having lost to PSV Eindhoven in the semi-finals of the 1986 edition.
It will cap off a busy pre-season schedule for Xavi’s side and the game will take place just five days before their season opener against Getafe, and he will be hoping to have a fully fit squad with a few more additions by the time Spurs come to visit.
What are Barcelona’s pre-season plans?
The Blaugrana have a tough schedule planned, with a trip to the USA to face Juventus, Arsenal, Real Madrid and AC Milan planned before the Joan Gamper trophy.
Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez have already arrived as summer signings, and there is more transfer business planned with Oriol Romeu targeted.
Pre-season will be a good opportunity for Xavi to test out the new possibilities in midfield with Gundogan, as well as determining which youngsters are ready for a first-team chance, and which could go on loan.
One to keep an eye on is Nico Gonzalez. With Barcelona in need of a defensive midfielder, he could be an internal solution Xavi explores in pre-season, after a productive loan spell at Valencia.
If Nico can impress during these tough friendly matches, then he could present himself as an option for next season if Barcelona cannot finalise a deal for a new midfielder.