Two European giants, Barcelona and AC Milan, will lock horns at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Tuesday, both sporting unblemished pre-season records.
Under the watchful eye of new manager Hansi Flick, Barca finally found their winning touch over the weekend.
After a draw against Manchester City, Flick’s men edged out arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-1, marking their first pre-season victory.
Even without a number of key players or significant reinforcement from the transfer market, Flick appears to be assembling a formidable team.
After last season’s disappointment, where they finished ten points adrift of their arch-rivals, Barca will be eager to challenge Madrid for the La Liga title.
Following the clash with Milan, Barca will square off with AS Monaco in their final pre-season test before kicking off their La Liga campaign with a tough away fixture against Valencia.
Victory will be a priority, but Barca will also need to be wary of Milan, who themselves haven’t tasted defeat in pre-season.
While they’ll be keen to drop the curtain on their pre-season with a win against Milan, the Serie A giants will also be eager to build on their narrow 1-0 victory over Madrid last time out.
Paulo Fonseca’s team have won their last two friendly matches against Man City and Madrid, so they’ll fancy their chances of making it three in a row against Barca.
The Rossoneri are looking to bounce back from an awful 2023/24 campaign. Despite finishing second on the Serie A log, a 19-point gulf separated them from local rivals and Italian champions Inter Milan.
Milan parted ways with Stefano Pioli and chose Fonseca as the man to lead the club into a new era.
With the team building a strong head of steam ahead of their season opener against Torino, Milan fans are eagerly anticipating a potential title challenge on multiple fronts.
AC Milan tickets for the upcoming season are already booming on Seatsnet.com as excitement builds around Fonseca’s quest to lead the Rossoneri back to glory.
Match preview
Barcelona’s youthful exuberance took centre stage as they emerged victorious in a thrilling El Clasico encounter.
Buoyed by their impressive performance against Man City, the Catalan giants produced another standout display against Madrid, with 22-year-old Pau Victor stealing the limelight.
The young striker, who only recently inked his first professional contract, announced his arrival with aplomb.
Building on his goalscoring exploits in the 2-2 draw against Man City, Victor bagged a brace on either side of half-time to put Barca firmly in control.
While Madrid managed to pull one back through Nico Paz, it was too late for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to mount a comeback as Barca held on to maintain their unbeaten pre-season record.
As Barca prepare for their penultimate friendly against Milan, the squad continues to gel under Flick’s tactical blueprint, and they inch closer to being ready for their season opener.
The final test of their summer preparations will come in the form of the Joan Gamper Trophy, a competition they have claimed ten times consecutively.
With the Spotify Camp Nou undergoing extensive renovations, the match against Monaco on August 12 will be hosted at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Barca will be eager to maintain their perfect record and lift the trophy once again before the start of the La Liga season.
Like Barca, Milan also stunned Madrid as Fonseca masterminded a 1-0 victory over the reigning European champions in Chicago.
The Rossoneri secured the victory thanks to a Samu Chukwueze strike, making it two wins from three pre-season friendlies so far.
They previously prevailed in a five-goal thriller against Premier League champions Man City, a victory which followed their 1-1 draw against Rapid Vienna in their pre-season opener.
Under the stewardship of new manager Fonseca, Milan are displaying renewed vigour and determination.
The Portuguese tactician has instilled a sense of courage into his side, evident in their impressive performances against Man City and Madrid.
With club legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic offering his wisdom from the sidelines, the club appears to be on an upward trajectory.
As the new season approaches, Milan’s focus will be on closing the significant gap to domestic rivals Inter.
A 19-point deficit in the previous campaign is a stark reminder of the work that needs to be done.
However, the early signs under Fonseca are encouraging, and with a squad bolstered by new signings and the experience of Ibrahimovic, the Rossoneri will be eager to challenge for honours once again.
The road to redemption will be long and arduous, but Milan’s victory over Madrid has provided a much-needed boost in confidence.
With a final pre-season test against local rivals AC Monza on the horizon, the stage is set for Fonseca’s side to build on their momentum and head into the new campaign with optimism.
Team news & potential line-ups
Barca are facing a significant injury crisis as they prepare for the new season, with several key players sidelined.
The Catalan giants’ medical staff are working overtime to recover a host of stars, including Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati, and young forward Vitor Roque.
While the club grapples with these fitness concerns, there is some positive news on the horizon.
The likes of Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres are enjoying well-deserved breaks after their European Championship triumph, while Jules Kounde has returned to training following his absence from the El Clasico.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Olympic team is set to feature a trio of Barca youngsters in their match against Morocco on Monday.
Fermin Lopez, Pau Cubarsi, and Eric Garcia will be looking to impress as they aim to build on their performances in the recent Olympics.
Adding to the complexity of Barca’s situation, experienced midfielder Oriol Romeu has departed the training camp to finalise his return to Girona.
However, there is a potential solution in the form of Ilkay Gundogan, who could be reintegrated into the squad to bolster the midfield options.
Meanwhile, Milan have welcomed Tijjani Reijnders, Mike Maignan, and Theo Hernandez back to the fold, but the game against Barca may come too early for the trio.
New signing Strahinja Pavlovic might not make his debut just yet either due to fitness reasons, while Alessandro Florenzi recently underwent surgery on an ACL injury and faces months on the sidelines.
Ismael Bennacer is training individually in the US, but Rafael Leao could return to the pitch on Tuesday.
Barcelona potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Hector Fort, Andreas Christensen, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Marc Casado, Ilkay Gundogan; Pau Victor, Pablo Torre, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski.
AC Milan potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Lorenzo Torriani; Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw, Alex Jimenez; Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tomaso Pobega, Yunus Musah; Samuel Chukwueze, Luka Jovic, Rafael Leao.
