MANCHESTER City will continue their pre-season on Wednesday when they take on Barcelona as part of both clubs' tours of the USA.
So far, the Blues have had a miserable time in the USA, losing to both Celtic and AC Milan so they will be looking to respond here with a win as the Premier League season edges closer.
Barcelona have only played one match in pre-season so far, a 1-0 win over Olot in Spain. This will be the first match of their USA tour.
Ahead of kick-off, check out our Barcelona vs Man City prediction below.
Recent head-to-head: A rare treat for fans
Despite both clubs being regulars in the Champions League over the past 15 years, this will only be their fourth meeting since Pep Guardiola became the Manchester City boss in 2016.
The last two competitive meetings came in 2016 when the two sides were drawn into the same group in the Champions League. Barcelona won 4-0 at the Camp Nou before Man City won 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Their last meeting was a friendly match at the Camp Nou in 2022. Spanish fans were treated to a thriller with the match ending 3-3 with goals coming from the likes of Julian Alvarez and Memphis Depay.
Players to watch: Can Haaland keep up his form?
While several Man City stars are still unavailable due to their exploits at Euro 2024 and the Copa America, their main man, Erling Haaland, is already firing on all cylinders.
Haaland didn't play at the Euros earlier in the summer as Norway failed to qualify which has allowed the 24-year-old to prepare for the new season with his club teammates. Although City have lost both of their pre-season matches so far, Haaland has scored in both of them – an ominous sign for Barcelona.
Another man to keep an eye on in a blue shirt is Jack Grealish. The £100m man had a season to forget last year and as a result, he missed out on a place in England's Euro 2024 squad. Grealish will be a man on a mission this season and a good pre-season could be key.
Predicted line-ups
Ilkay Gundogan will link up with his Barcelona teammates on Monday which means there is a possibility that the German will get some minutes against this former club. Robert Lewandowski is also expected to play after Poland's early exit from Euro 2024.
For Man City, Mateo Kovacic is expected to play his first pre-season match after joining up with the squad earlier than planned after Croatia's disappointing showing at the Euros. The likes of De Bruyne, Alvarez and Doku are all still absent.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen – Araujo, Martinez, Christensen, Fort – Romeu, Torre, Gundogan – Roque, Lewandowski, Victor
Man City: Ederson – Lewis, Simpson-Pusey, Doyle, Gvardiol – Perrone, Kovacic – Bobb, McAtee, Grealish – Haaland
Anything else catch the eye?
There isn't too much to draw from Barcelona's one and only match of pre-season so far but Man City's pre-season results are eye-opening to say the least. Across their first two matches, 12 goals have gone in which suggests we could be in for a cracker on Wednesday. Therefore, over 3.5 goals is a good bet to consider here.
This International Friendly match between Barcelona and Man City will be played on Jul 31, 2024 and kick off at 00:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Man City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
