Barcelona’s memories of Roma will likely forever be tainted by their infamous collapse at the Stadio Olimpico in 2018, as they were beaten 3-0 and knocked out of the Champions League.
Clearly it’s not something that plays on the mind of the decision-makers at Camp Nou however, as the club invited the Italian giants to be their opponents in the traditional season curtain-raiser. Barcelona and Roma will face off on the 6th of August, theoretically six days ahead of Barcelona’s first league fixture.
It will also be contested between both the men’s and the women’s teams of both clubs. Barcelona Femeni will play at 17:30 CEST, while the Masculi side will kick off at 21:00 CEST. Between the two matches, at 19:50, the two squads will be presented to the fans ahead of the season as dictated by tradition.
As reported by Mundo Deportivo, it will be the second time that Barcelona have faced Roma in the Joan Gamper trophy. It also brings the Blaugrana face-to-face with a familiar foe in Jose Mourinho. Few managers have ruffled as many feathers in Barcelona, with current manager Xavi Hernandez at heart of the controversy that Mourinho created during his time at Real Madrid.
