MADRID, 10 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona, current champion of LaLiga EA Sports, has returned to training this Monday just 35 days after the end of the 22-23 season against Celta, with Iñigo Martínez and twelve players from the subsidiary and youth A as the main novelties of a azulgrana team that will play its first pre-season game on July 22 against Juventus.
The players who started the preseason this morning with Xavi Hernández were Iñaki Peña, Dest, Eric García, Araujo, Iñigo Martínez, Marcos Alonso, Lenglet, Balde, Sergi Roberto, Nico, Pedri, Pablo Torre, Ferran Torres, and Raphinha de the first template. They are joined by 12 players from Barça Athletic and youth A: Alarcón, Cubarsí, Kochen, Estanis, Faye, Fermín López, Héctor Fort, Lamine Yamal, Marc Casadó, Marc Guiu, Pau Prim and Unai Hernández.
The 26 players who have started the preseason this Monday under the orders of the Catalan coach will be joined on July 17 by the rest of the first team internationals. Among them, the return of Ez Abde, on loan last season at Osasuna, and Ilkay Gündogan, the brand new Blaugrana signing from Manchester City, stand out.
The players have undergone physical tests and medical check-ups this morning: cardiological study, weight and body composition control, podiatry, blood and urine tests and strength tests. Before the first training session under Xavi’s orders this afternoon in the sports city of Sant Joan d’Espí. A first step towards the set-up that the tour of the United States that will start on July 19 already has on the horizon.
It will be nine days of work in Barcelona before leaving for North American territory to continue the preparation there. The ‘Clásico’ against Real Madrid in Dallas on July 29 will be the most important friendly for the Catalans, who will also play against Juventus (July 22 in San Francisco), Arsenal (July 26 in Los Angeles) and the Milan (August 2 in Las Vegas).
For the second consecutive preseason there will be Clásico in the United States, being the third since 2017. That summer Barça and Madrid met in Miami, where the team then led by Ernesto Valverde won 2-3 with goals from Messi, Rakitic and Pique. Last season the duel also fell to the Barça side, thanks to Raphinha’s solitary goal.