After a rough week, FC Barcelona will finally play Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Joan Gamper Trophy this evening.
Instead of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner talking about his hopes and goals for the next season at the end of the game, as is usual for this matchup, Lionel Messi held a tearful press conference in the Camp Nou auditorium about nine and a half hours before kickoff, where he confirmed the end of his 21-year relationship with his boyhood team.
Now that his departure is official, the cash-strapped Catalans must look forward and forget about the day they always feared would arrive two to three years sooner than expected, as the Argentine is expected to join continental rivals PSG at the end of the week.
SPORT calls tonight’s game a “Champions League test,” but it’s probably best to forget that Serie A’s biggest teams beat Barcelona 3-0 at home in the Champions League last December.
This is Juventus’ second time in the league. They made their first appearance in 2005, which was also Messi’s first time in the tournament. Barca lost 2-4 on penalties, but 18-year-old Messi impressed then-Bianconeri coach Fabio Capello enough to try to get him on loan.
But, of course, these are different times. And now Barcelona must do the best they can with what they have.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is still recovering from knee surgery, so Jordi Alba, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Pique, and Sergio Dest will help Neto protect the goal while Marc-Andre ter Stegen is still out.
Sergio Busquets, the new captain of the first team, helps Yusuf Demir and Sergio Roberto in the middle of the field while Frenkie de Jong is out with a knock.
No one will wear the number 10 for obvious reasons, and Martin Braithwaite’s number 9 has been given to Memphis Depay, while the Dane will wear 12 tonight.
Ronald Koeman is likely to put both of them up front with Antoine Griezmann, who takes Messi’s spot on the right side of the attack.
FC Barcelona versus FAQS
Has Barcelona ever lost Joan Gamper trophy?
FC Koln. In the final, Barcelona beat Germany 3-1. Koln went on to win the tournament in 1978 and 1981, and they came in second place in 1979. This made them the only team besides the hosts to win the tournament more than once.
Will Messi play Joan Gamper trophy?
Lionel Messi will sign his new contract with FC Barcelona soon, maybe even today. He will then be able to play in the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Juventus. The latest news from Spain is that La Liga is about to accept a large sum of money from an investment company in exchange for a share of the league.
Who score for Barcelona vs Juventus?
Ousmane Dembele scores two great goals to tie the game between Barcelona and Juventus. In Dallas, a friendly between Juventus and Barcelona ended in a 2-2 tie. Moise Kean scored twice to cancel out two goals from Ousmane Dembele.
Where can I watch Joan Gamper trophy in India?
LINEUPS \sBARCELONA.
PUMAS.
The Joan Gamper Trophy will be given out in 2022.
Sunday, August 7, 2022, at 8 p.m. CET in Barcelona, 7 p.m. BST/WAT in the UK and Nigeria, 2 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. PT in the USA, and 11.30 p.m. IST
Venue: Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
How to watch on TV: TUDN in the US, TV3 in Spain, and other channels
READ MORE ARTICLES;
