The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-0 win over NY Red Bulls last weekend, while Pumas played out a 1-1 draw against Monterrey in a Mexican top division fixture.
Barcelona will host Mexican club Pumas in a pre-season friendly at the Camp Nou on Sunday. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-0 win over NY Red Bulls last weekend, while Pumas played out a 1-1 draw against Monterrey in a Mexican top division fixture. The visitors are currently in the midst of the 2022 domestic season, and they are sitting at 10th place in the league standings with eight points from six games. Barcelona, on the other hand, finished second in the 2021-22 La Liga Santander with 73 points, 13 adrift of the champions Real Madrid.
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— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 7, 2022
Barcelona have had an impressive pre-season so far, winning three of their five friendlies. In their last game against NY Red Bulls, Xavi’s side secured the win courtesy of goals from Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay. Blaugrana have been very busy in the transfer market, signing the likes of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde. After the disappointing 2021-22 season that saw them not winning a single major trophy, the Spanish giants are desperate to get back to the top echelons of European football.
Pumas, on the other hand, have won just one of their six Liga MX matches so far, while the remaining five ended in draws. In their last outing against Monterrey, Jeronimo Rodriguez’ opener was canceled out by Nicolas Fereire’s strike to share the spoils. Meanwhile former Barcelona-man Dani Alves is now with Pumas and the legendary full-back would be back in Camp Nou for this contest.
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Barcelona boss Xavi could opt for a strong starting eleven as this will be their final friendly before the start of competitive action next week. Lewandowski could lead the line with Ansu Fati and Dembele in support. Defender Kounde could make his debut for his new club, while Frenkie de Jong is likely to start on the bench amidst his ongoing transfer speculation. Sergio Busquets will pull the strings in the midfield alongside Gavi and Pedri. As for Pumas, Head coach Lillini could make full use of his squad in order to give his players an opportunity to test themselves against the best in the world. Juan Dinenno is likely to lead the attack. Meanwhile Alves could be deployed in the midfield.
Barcelona probable starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Araujo, Christensen, Kounde, Alba; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Dembele, Lewandowski, Fati
Pumas probable starting lineup: Gonzalez; Bennevendo, Ortiz, Freire, J Rodriguez, Salvio, Alves, Meritao, L Lopez, Del Prete; Dinenno.
The pre-season friendly match between Barcelona and Pumas will take place at the Camp Nou on Sunday at 11:30 pm IST.
Barcelona vs Pumas | Key details |
Date | August 7 |
Venue | Camp Nou |
Kickoff time in Spain | 8:00 pm |
Kickoff time in Mexico | 1:00 pm |
The live coverage of the pre-season friendly match is available on ESPN network, star + and Barca TV.