Barcelona have officially announced their rivals in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy pre-season match at Camp Nou. After facing Boca Juniors last season, it will be Unai Emery's Arsenal who will take on Ernesto Valverde's men on 4th August.
Barcelona will face 'The Gunners' in the Joan Gamper Trophy in a game that sees manager Unai Emery return to Camp Nou after PSG's embarrassing 6-1 Champions League collapse a few seasons ago.
It will be the first time that Arsenal have participated in the match, which will serve as an interesting test for Barça in what promises to be a gruelling pre-season.
The two sides may not have faced off in this tournament, but they have done five times in the Champions League, having played a total of nine matches in Europe's top club competition.
Of the nine matches, Barcelona have won six, drawn two and lost one. In the 1999-2000 season, the 'Azulgrana' drew 1-1 at home before winning the away leg in England 2-4.
Their second meeting took place in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris, with Barcelona coming from behind to win 2-1. The other matchups took place in the quarter finals in 2009-10 (2-2 in London, 4-1 at Camp Nou) and in the round of 16 in 2010-11, where Barcelona lost 2-1 at the Emirates but turned it around by winning the second leg 3-1 in Catalonia.
June 21, 2019