FC Barcelona will close their preseason today against Al Ahly in the 61st edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy. Dating back to 1966, Barca hosts a friendly match against opponents from around the world. Al Ahly will be the first African side to ever participate in the event. Barcelona have won 47 of the 60 Joan Gamper Trophy matches, including 12 of the last 13. In last year’s edition, Barca defeated Como 5-0.
So far, FC Barcelona’s preseason has included matches against CE Europa, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Udinese, and Basel. Along with their preseason matches, Barca have also been active in the transfer market. This summer, the Catalan club completed the marquee signing of midfielder Rodri, alongside the great attacking additions of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.
Following today’s match versus Al Ahly, Barca will open their La Liga title defense on Sunday with a trip to Elche. While La Liga commenced this past weekend, Barcelona (among other teams) were given an extra week off since they had numerous players participating in the World Cup.
