One of the biggest stories in world football this week was the summer splash signing of Dani Olmo by the Catalan club. The attacking midfielder/left winger moved over from RB Leipizg on a deal worth €62m (€55m up front, €7m in add-ons) four days ago.
Tomorrow night could see Olmo make his FC Barcelona debut, in their final preseason tune-up against AS Monaco.
Preseason Friendly FYIs
FC Barcelona vs AS Monaco, the “Joan Camper Trophy”
Kickoff (local time): Mon. Aug 12, 8pm, Olympic Stadium, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Fun Fact: Spain is now the holders of: Men’s European Championship, Men’s Olympic Gold Medal, Women’s World Cup
Team News for Both Sides
This match will be played in Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium (which hosted the games in 1992), and as we write this, the closing ceremonies have just begun for the current Olympiad in Paris.
Due to helping win gold in those games, Fermin Lopez, Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsi will not feature here. They were a part of the Spain team that defeated the host country in the gold medal match
Elsewhere Lamine Yamal, who was part of the Spain team that won the European Championships last month, is back from his post-tournament holiday now, and should make his preseason debut here.
In other words, Spain is where it’s at right now when it comes to world football.
Meanwhile Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Gavi remain out due to injury.
Shifting gears to Monaco, Youssouf Fofana is expected to be involved here, despite his being persistent links with a potential transfer exit.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.