The Blaugrana take on their fellow Catalan club in preparation for the 2020/21 La Liga season. Here's everything you need to know.

Preview: Barcelona vs Gimnàstic Tarragona

While the 2020/21 La Liga season kicks off on Saturday, Barcelona will not begin their Spanish Primera Division campaign until September 27, just over two weeks later. Until then, the Blaugrana will be preparing with friendly fixtures, starting this weekend against Gimnàstic Tarragona.

While nothing is on the line in this game, this match sparks intrigue nonetheless and for many reasons. First of all, this will be Ronald Koeman's first game in charge of his former club, having left his position with the Netherlands national team in order to replace Quique Setien. Whether the Dutch tactician is the man to bring the club back to its glory days remains unknown, but the gaffer will get an opportunity to show what he is about come Saturday's friendly.

After their horrendous 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, a result which followed losing the Liga title to bitter rivals Real Madrid, it was evident that Barcelona were in dire need of change. Chaos ensued straight after that historical European defeat, the biggest fiasco being Lionel Messi's transfer saga.

And here in lies the next most interesting part of the Gimnàstic Tarragona tie. The iconic Argentine handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force a free transfer to Man City, as the rumors suggested. However, the Blaugrana refused to rescind his contract and stated that his whopping $825M had to be paid in order for him to leave his club of 20 years.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner would go on to give an explosive interview in which he confessed his desire to leave and criticized the club's sporting project, or lack thereof. Despite this, he revealed he would be staying as the only route to an exit was via a court battle and that was not an option he wished to exercise. Additionally, he reiterated his commitment to the club, insisting that while he was keen on a departure, his love for the Camp Nou and desire to win trophies for his team did not diminish.

Messi and Koeman have spoken and the whole transfer saga appears to be water under the bridge between the player and coach. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the captain will fare after being forced to stay, if he is given minutes.

Team news

The Catalan giants will be without Ansu Fati. The sensational youngster, having debuted for Spain and scored his first La Furia Roja goal during the recent international break, will now be forced to sit out this friendly. The teenager picked up "a bruise on his right hip from training on Friday", as revealed by the club.

Miralem Pjanic is set to join the squad in the coming days and will thus sit this one out as well. Fans will be excited to see whether Francisco Trincão will make his debut, having joined the club after signing for the club back in January. Additionally, it will be interesting to see whether Philippe Coutinho features after being assured of his spot in the club by Koeman.

Key stats

  • These two sides are yet to face off in an official match since 2006/07.

  • The first edition of this Catalan derby took place in 1946/47, with Barcelona losing that Copa del Rey encounter.

  • Since that defeat, the Blaugrana have beaten Gimnàstic Tarragona eight times and drawn twice.

Where to watch Barcelona vs Gimnàstic Tarragona live on May 26, 2020

Barcelona vs Gimnàstic Tarragona kick off at 10:00 PT/13:00 ET/17:00 GMT/19:00 CET

Spain: TV3

International: Barca TV+

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Barcelona 3 - 1 Gimnàstic Tarragona

September 12, 2020 1:00pmEstadi Johan Cruyff (Sant Joan Despí)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

Barca TV+