Barcelona to host Arsenal in Joan Gamper Trophy
The Catalan club will host the Gunners in their traditional annual friendly, meaning a reunion between Unai Emery and Ernesto Valverde.
Arsenal will be Barcelona's opponents in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy match, the Catalan club's traditional season curtain-raiser.
The 2019 edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy game – named in honour of the businessman who founded Barca – will be the 54th.
It will be Arsenal's first appearance in the match, which sees Barça face a different guest each year.
Barca have won each of the last six editions, beating Boca Juniors, Chapecoense, Sampdoria, Roma, León and Santos, the game against the latter finishing 8-0.
Manchester City the last English side to win Gamper trophy
Barça to host @Arsenal in Gamper match on August 4!🔵🔴
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) June 21, 2019
Arsenal will be the sixth English club invited to play for the trophy. Manchester City were the last to feature, beating Barca 1-0 in 2009, making them one of only two sides with Sampdoria to win the match since 2005.
The match will be held at Camp Nou on August 4 after Barca have returned from their other pre-season commitments, which will see them play against Chelsea and Vissel Kobe – the club of Andres Iniesta, Sergi Samper and David Villa – in Japan, as well as a trip to the United States for the LaLiga Serie A Cup against Napoli.