Barcelona will begin their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with a pre-season friendly against Spanish fourth-tier outfit Olot on Wednesday night.
Xavi's side are building towards their La Liga opener at home to Rayo Vallecano on August 13, and it has already been a busy summer for the club in terms of incomings and outgoings.
Match preview
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Olot played in the Tercera Division RFEF - Group 5 last season, which is the fifth tier of the Spanish league system, but they will be in the fourth tier for 2022-23 following their promotion.
Manix Mandiola's side had dropped into the fifth tier following their relegation in 2020-21, but they have managed to earn promotion back to the Segunda Division RFEF at the first time of asking.
The Catalan outfit have been extremely busy this summer in terms of incomings, with Ernest Forgas, Gonzalo Pereira and Sebas Coris among those to arrive at the club on free transfers.
Meanwhile, Olot have also let five first-team players move on ahead of the new campaign, and there is expected to be more business undertaken before the transfer window closes.
The clash with Barcelona will give their players the perfect chance to test themselves at the highest level, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform against their famous opponents.
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Barcelona ended last season without a trophy, suffering disappointment in the Copa del Rey, Champions League and Europa League, while they finished second in the La Liga table behind Real Madrid.
Xavi made a big impression as head coach following his arrival in November, though, and the club have big plans for this summer despite their financial problems, with deals for Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and Leeds United's Raphinha believed to be advancing.
Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have both arrived on free transfers, while Clement Lenglet and Dani Alves have moved on; Ousmane Dembele is also out of contract, so he will not be involved here as talks over a new deal continue, and Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong have returned to their parent clubs.
Barcelona will take on Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Juventus, New York Red Bulls and Pumas UNAM as part of their preparations for the new campaign.
The team's 2022-23 La Liga season will start at home to Rayo Vallecano on August 13, while they will also take on Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid in the opening month of the new campaign.
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Team News
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Olot are likely to have some new faces in their team on Wednesday, with recent arrivals Forgas and Ferran Brugue potentially starting in the final third of the field.
Fellow new arrival Urri is also in line for a spot in the side, but head coach Mandiola will make full use of his squad during the contest, with two different XIs potentially starting each half.
As for Barcelona, new signings Christensen and Kessie are both in line to make their debuts, and it would not be a surprise to see the pair in the starting side on Wednesday night.
Sergi Roberto had his injury problems last season but is now fit and could start at right-back, while Pedri is also available after his injury issues, with the Spaniard likely to feature in central midfield.
Memphis Depay's future has been the subject of much speculation, but the Netherlands international is expected to do a full pre-season with Barcelona, and he could potentially start alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres in the final third of the field.
Ansu Fati's minutes will be carefully managed due to his injury problems last term, while it remains to be seen how involved the likes of Martin Braithwaite, Neto, Samuel Umtiti, Riqui Puig and Oscar Mingueza are due to the speculation surrounding their futures.
Frenkie de Jong is also in the squad despite the speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.
Olot possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Blazquez, Ayala, Mas, D Bigas; Serrano, Urri, Terma; Coros, Forgas, Brugue
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Christensen, Araujo, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Kessie; Memphis, Aubameyang, F Torres
We say: Olot 0-4 Barcelona
There is simply no comparing the sides when it comes to quality, and we are finding it difficult to predict anything other than a strong victory for Barcelona in this pre-season contest, particularly as a number of players will be looking to make a strong impression on Xavi.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
