Barcelona’s US summer tour: friendlies, dates, rivals...

One of the main attractions of Barcelona’s pre-season is the arrival of midfielder Ilkay Gündogan. The former Manchester City man has proven in recent seasons under Pep Guardiola to be a world-class midfielder, and now it is time to see how Xavi Hernández will include him in his side.

The Blaugrana squad meet up for pre-season today (10 July) in Sant Joan Despí. The players will undergo medical tests after the holidays and will return to training before the start of their tour of the United States.

Last summer Barcelona opted to cross the Atlantic for their summer preparation, and will do the same again this year, travelling to the US to play four friendly matches. Xavi will be able to test his squad against four big European sides, including a Clásico which, despite being a friendly, adds a bit of spice to Barça’s US tour.

When are Barcelona’s pre-season matches?

The Blaugrana will play their first pre-season friendly against Juventus in California. The full squad is expected to be available against La Vechia Signora. Four days later, the second friendly of the tour will be played against Arsenal, also in California. The schedule for both matches is yet to be determined.

Pre-season Clásico on 29 July

Real Madrid and Barcelona will face each other on 29 July in Dallas. The record is good for Xavi’s side. In the two matches that have been played on North American soil, they have beaten Los Blancos on both occasions.

Barça’s final pre-season game will be played on 1 August against AC Milan, also in Dallas, with the time still to be determined. This will be the last test before returning to Spain to begin the 2023-24 season.

The Joan Gamper trophy

The Blaugrana will also have to find a date between their return from the United States and the league opener against Getafe on Sunday 13 August to play the traditional pre-season Joan Gamper trophy match. The club have yet to release any official date for the game.