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| Barcelona won the 2015 Gamper Trophy 3-0 against AS Roma. 2016 edition will be played against Sampdoria |
FC Barcelona play their first important game of the 2016/2017 season when they take on Italian team Sampdoria in the 2016 edition of the Trofeu Joan Gamper (Joan Gamper) trophy at the Camp Nou on Wednesday (today).
After a long search for an opponent with speculations suggesting Dutch team Ajax will be Barça’s opponent for the game, Sampdoria were finally announced to play against the Catalans due to the role they played in the club’s history.
FC Barcelona won their first European Cup/UEFA Champions League title in 1992 defeating Sampdoria 1-0 thanks to an extra time bullet from club legend Ronald Koeman. The game started a completely new era for Barcelona and it was one of the best and unforgettable moments in the clubs beautiful history.
The Joan Gamper Trophy is not just a friendly game, it is an important game for Barça, the staffs, players and fans all look forward to it as it is a platform where the entire available squad are showcased to the public and 2016 won’t be an exception. Barça made a number of new signings this summer, recruiting four players already of which two have made their debuts. Andre Gomes and Samuel Umtiti will play their first games in a Barcelona shirt tonight.
WHY EXACTLY IS JOAN GAMPER TROPHY PLAYED?
The Joan Gamper Trophy is an annual game hosted by FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou in honour of Joan Gamper, a founding member, former player and former president of the club.
The trophy was inaugurated in 1966 and FC Barcelona are the record Champions with 38 titles to their name out of a possible 50. The 2015 edition was played against AS Roma and FC Barcelona came out 3-0 winners.
It is the first game of the season when the club present the first team squad to the fans and there are always high numbers turning up in the stands just for this reason.
2016 JOAN GAMPER TROPHY – FC BARCELONA VS SAMPDORIA
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Time: 8:30PM CET
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Luis Enrique will select the entire first team squad for the game tonight and the only players not available are Rafinha and Neymar who are representing Brazil in the ongoing 2016 Rio Olympic games.
Possible Barcelona Lineup: Ter Stegen; Aleix Vidal, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Munir El Haddadi.
Coach Luis Enrique has already stated that all three goalkeepers will feature in the game and play 30 minutes each, Marc Andre Ter Stegen likely to start just like in the game against Liverpool.
The fourth forward is yet to be signed which means Munir will continue enjoying his role replacing Neymar and playing alongside Messi and Suarez in attack for the time being.
BarcaLens Prediction: The players always play the Gamper with enthusiasm, Sampdoria are the last team to beat Barça in this game but I don’t think it will happen tonight, easy 4-0 win for Barça.