Barcelona Face Al Ahly: Everything You Need to Know Before the Big Clash

Barcelona round off their summer preseason schedule by hosting Egyptian club Al Ahly in the 61st installment of the prestigious Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday.

The trophy has been held since 1966, inviting top clubs from around the globe to face the Blaugrana in a standalone friendly fixture. Most challengers have fallen short, but Al Ahly will aim to make history as the first African club ever to participate in the event.

Barcelona's preseason tour took them across Europe ahead of their eagerly anticipated return to Camp Nou. Following a closed-doors victory over Catalan outfit CE Europa, they headed to England for a draw with Birmingham City, before competing against Nottingham Forest and Udinese in a triangular tournament in Italy. They then traveled to Switzerland, where they defeated Basel 5–2.

Their La Liga title defense gets underway on Sunday with an away fixture at Elche, with Hansi Flick's squad granted an additional week to prepare for their season opener due to the large number of players who featured at the World Cup.

Barcelona vs. Al Ahly Score Prediction

Barca Win 48th Joan Gamper Trophy

Barça showcased their attacking prowess against Basel at the weekend, welcoming back a number of late returnees from the World Cup. Lamine Yamal was among them and, unsurprisingly, he found the net, with the likes of Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsí, Jules Koundé and debutant Anthony Gordon all getting game time.

Flick will be inclined to field an even stronger squad in Catalonia, which will pose a serious challenge for Al Ahly. The Egyptians are also yet to begin their new season and rarely encounter such formidable opposition at either domestic or continental level.

They could easily be overwhelmed by a Barça side eager to impress Flick just days before the new season kicks off, and energized by the support of their home faithful.

The Blaugrana have claimed victory in 47 of their 60 Joan Gamper Trophy encounters, including 12 of the last 13, and they demolished Como 5–0 in last year's edition. Another commanding win looks likely.

Prediction: Barcelona 4–1 Al Ahly

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Al Ahly

Having been used as substitutes in the previous match, Koundé and Yamal could both earn spots in the starting XI on Wednesday—even if they are replaced at the break. There will be numerous changes throughout the game as Flick's key players build up their match sharpness.

With the new campaign just four days away, the Barça manager will avoid taking any unnecessary risks, meaning limited playing time for those who have recently returned to the squad.

Gordon could experience his first outing at Camp Nou as a home player, while Raphinha may be asked to lead the attack given Barça's shortage of central striking options following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji will once again be absent through injury, while Pedri's availability remains in doubt after he sat out the Basel match.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Al Ahly (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Christensen, Martín, Balde; Bernal, Espart; Yamal, López, Gordon; Raphinha.

Al Ahly Predicted Linuep vs. Barcelona

Head coach Hussein Ammouta is expected to call upon several players who represented Egypt at the World Cup, including Emam Ashour, Marwan Ateya and Yasser Ibrahim.

Summer signing Monsef Bakrar should see some action after joining from Dinamo Zagreb, while other new arrivals such as Akram Tawfik and Soufiane Benjdida will be vying for places in the starting eleven.

Al Ahly will come face to face with former forward Hamza Abdelkarim, who recently made the move to Barça and has impressed during preseason. The 18-year-old has netted three goals across matches against Birmingham and Basel.

Al Ahly predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-3-3): El Shenawy; Hany, Ibrahim, Marei, Fouad; Kouka, Ashour, Ateya; Zizo, El Shahat, Bakrar.

What Time Does Barcelona vs. Al Ahly Kick Off?

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