One of the absolutes every season for FC Barcelona before they kick off their official campaign is the occasion of the Joan Gamper Trophy, where Barcelona face off against an invited competitor for an annual friendly game to kickstart the new campaign in front of their home fans.
Named after Swiss footballer Joan Gamper, one of the co-founders of FC Barcelona all the way back in 1899, the match acts as a yearly season opener for the Catalan club and sees them invite the likes of various elite-level teams to come to Barcelona in order to compete.
These opponents are typically top-level opposition from within Europe but have also included opponents from outside of the continent as well.
For this 2023 edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy set to take place in August, Catalunya Radio reports that the chosen opponent for FC Barcelona this time around will be English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur, led by former Celtic manager, Angelos Postecoglou.
Spurs finished 8th in their 2022/2023 campaign in the English Premier League, a less than ideal position for a team that in recent years has become associated as being one of the toughest oppositions to play against in the Premier League, and frequently finished well within the top 6 positions within almost every season in recent memory.
Taking into account the quality Tottenham possess within their ranks, Barcelona will surely be in for a strong matchup against the likes of Englishman Harry Kane and partner in crime from South Korea, Son Heung-Min, who will definitely cause problems for the Catalan club if they are selected to play or are available.
The match will reportedly take place on the 9th of August this year if the calendar and scheduled matches progress as planned.
Prior to the Joan Gamper game however, Barcelona will have to take a trip to the United States of America to kickstart their preseason, where they are expected to compete against the likes of Italian sides AC Milan and Juventus, English outfit Arsenal and Spanish rivals Real Madrid across various cities.