La Liga giants Barcelona will begin their pre-season 2024 against Premier League champions Manchester City at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
The Barcelona vs Man City pre-season friendly will start at 4:30 AM IST on Wednesday, July 31.
Under the tutelage of newly-appointed manager Hansi Flick, Barcelona have entered a new era after the Catalan outfit sacked former head coach Xavi in May.
Barcelona will aim to regain the La Liga title after they finished second last season, 10 points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid. Xavi’s men were eliminated in the quarter-finals of both the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Apart from Manchester City, Barcelona are scheduled to face Real Madrid in New Jersey and AC Milan in Baltimore before they return to prepare for the Joan Gamper Trophy match against AS Monaco at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on August 12.
Ahead of the United States tour, Barcelona have announced a 31-man squad under manager Hansi Flick.
The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and fit-again Alejandro Balde could feature against Manchester City.
However, Barcelona will miss the services of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Ronald Araujo and Ansu Fati due to injuries.
Furthermore, the Spanish trio of Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez and Eric Garcia will miss the US tour as they are representing Spain at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On the other hand, Manchester City will look to bounce back after losing both their pre-season 2024 friendlies against Celtic and AC Milan.
Led by manager Pep Guardiola, Man City began their pre-season 2024 with a 3-4 defeat against Celtic before the Citizens succumbed to a 2-3 loss versus Milan in the US.
Just like Barcelona, City will miss several of their stars including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji due to their recent national duties.
Star forward Julian Alvarez is also currently representing Argentina at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb and James McAtee could play against Barcelona in their third pre-season 2024 friendly.
Barcelona vs Manchester City head-to-head
Barcelona have a dominant head-to-head record against Manchester City in competitive fixtures. The Catalan giants have won five of the six matches while City have registered just a solitary victory so far.
The last time these two sides met, Man City held Barcelona to a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou in a club friendly in August 2022.
Where to watch Barcelona vs Man City pre-season friendly 2024 live in India
Live streaming of the Barcelona vs Man City pre-season friendly will be available on Manchester City’s streaming service CITY+.
There will be no live telecast of the Barcelona vs Man City pre-season friendly 2024 on any TV channel in India.
Barcelona vs Man City squads for preseason friendly 2024
Barcelona squad
Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inaki Pena, Ander Astralaga, Diego Kochen
Defenders: Alejandro Balde, Inigo Martinez, Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde, Julian Araujo, Clement Lenglet, Hector Fort, Alex Valle, Mikayil Faye, Gerard Martin, Andrés Cuenca, Sergi Domínguez, Alexis Olmedo.
Midfielders: Oriol Romeu, Ilkay Gundogan, Pablo Torre, Marc Casado, Unai Hernandez, Marc Bernal, Noah Darvich, Guille Fernández, Quim Junyent
Attackers: Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Vitor Roque, Pau Victor, Toni Fernandez
Man City squad
Goalkeepers: Ederson, Ortega, Carson
Defenders: Lewis, Samuel, Mfuni, Mbete, Katongo, Simpson-Pusey, Galvez, Doyle, Wilson-Esbrand
Midfielders: Susoho, Wright, Perrone, Phillips, O’Reilly, Oboavwoduo, McAtee
Forwards: Fatah, Heskey, Haaland, Grealish, Bobb, Ndala, Hamilton, Knight
Photo credit: Imago
