Barcelona will be keen on defending their La Liga title, starting with a pre-season tour of the United States in the International Champions Cup (ICC), which involves some massive clashes.
This upcoming season will also be the first in which Lionel Messi succeeds Andres Iniesta as club captain, with the former Spain international leaving Camp Nou after 16 years in the first team to play for Japanese side Vissel Kobe.
Goal brings you your complete guide to Barcelona’s 2018 pre-season tour as well as dates, venues and all you need to know about preparations for the new campaign.
Barcelona pre-season fixtures
| Date | Match | Time (UK / US ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28 | Barcelona vs Tottenham | 10:05pm / 5:05pm | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA |
| Jul 31 | Barcelona vs Roma | 2:05am / 9:05pm | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
| Aug 4 | Barcelona vs AC Milan | 3:05am / 10:05pm | Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA |
| Aug 12 | Sevilla vs Barcelona | TBC | Grand Stade de Tanger, Tangier |
| Aug 15 | Barcelona vs Boca Juniors | TBC | Camp Nou, Barcelona |
Barcelona will begin preparations for the new season with a pre-season tour in the United States, kicking off against Premier League side Tottenham in California.
They will then face an Italian club double-header against Roma and AC Milan to close off their ICC, ending their lead-up to the La Liga season with a Spanish Super Cup tie with Sevilla and contesting the Joan Gamper Trophy with Boca Juniors.
Barcelona 2018-19 squad numbers
| Squad number | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Marc-Andre ter Stegen |
| 2 | DF | Nelson Semedo |
| 3 | DF | Gerard Pique |
| 4 | MF | Ivan Rakitic |
| 5 | MF | Sergio Busquets |
| 6 | MF | Denis Suarez |
| 9 | FW | Luis Suarez |
| 10 | FW | Lionel Messi |
| 11 | FW | Ousmane Dembele |
| 13 | GK | Jasper Cillessen |
| 14 | MF | Philippe Coutinho |
| 17 | FW | Paco Alcacer |
| 18 | DF | Jordi Alba |
| 19 | DF | Lucas Digne |
| 20 | MF | Sergi Roberto |
| 21 | MF | Andre Gomes |
| 22 | MF | Aleix Vidal |
| 23 | DF | Samuel Umtiti |
| 24 | DF | Yerri Mina |
| 25 | DF | Thomas Vermaelen |
| – | DF | Clement Lenglet |
| – | MF | Arthur |
Barcelona’s 2018-19 transfer activity
Former club captain Iniesta was released from the club to play in Japan, while forward Gerard Deulofeu was sold to Premier League side Watford for €17 million (£15m/$20m).
Brazilian Paulinho was a surprise departure after he opted to return to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande, following just one season at the Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, the club landed Arthur from Gremio to help fill the void left by Iniesta, while promising French defender Clement Lenglet arrived from Sevilla.
Transfer activity in
| Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Arthur | Gremio | €40m |
| DF | Clement Lenglet | Sevilla | €35.9M |
Transfer activity out
| Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| CM | Andres Iniesta | Vissel Kobe (released) | N/A |
| FW | Gerard Deulofeu | Watford | €17m |
| MF | Paulinho | Guangzhou Evergrande (loan) | Free |
Barcelona’s La Liga 2018-19 fixtures
The fixtures for Barcelona’s 2018-19 La Liga season will be announced on Thursday July 19.
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