FC Barcelona host Manchester City in a mid-season 2022-23 friendly at Camp Nou in the early hours of Thursday in India. The match will kick off at 1:00 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
The high-profile game has been organised in order to raise funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research at Luzón Foundation in support of former Barcelona goalkeeper and coach Juan Carlos Unzué, who was diagnosed with the disease just two years back.
“We will be together - a few days with our new players. Our chairman will be there. We can recover and train in a good environment,” said Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola.
“And we go because Barcelona open doors to play a game for an important person in our lives. They invite us to raise money for the battle that he has, and it is an incredible argument for us to be there. To play at Camp Nou is important for us. A big stage and a big team,” Pep added.
Defending champions Manchester City have already made an impressive start to their ongoing Premier League campaign. With two wins and one draw, Manchester City are currently placed second in the Premier League 2022-23 standings with seven points from three matches.
However, the Cityzens head into the charity fundraiser after being held 3-3 by Newcastle United in their previous match during the weekend.
On the other hand, Xavi’s Barcelona are currently fifth in the La Liga 2022-23 standings. Having registered one win and one draw, Barcelona have amassed four points from two matches.
The Catalan outfit will be brimming with confidence after they beat Real Sociedad 4-1 in their last La Liga fixture on Monday.
Manchester City are expected to field a few of their new summer signings including Kalvin Phillips, Julian Alvarez, Sergio Gomez and Stefan Ortega.
Similarly, Barcelona are also likely to include new summer signing Jules Kounde, who is yet to be registered to play in La Liga.
Barcelona vs Manchester City head-to-head
Barcelona have a dominant head-to-head record against Manchester City across competitions, winning five of the six matches that they have played so far.
However, the last time these two sides met, Manchester City secured a 3-1 win over Barcelona in an UEFA Champions League group match in 2016.
Barcelona vs Manchester City predicted XIs
Barcelona predicted XI (3-2-4-1): Inaki Pena; Jules Kounde, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba; Franck Kessie, Gavi; Sergio Roberto, Pablo Torre, Miralem Pjanic, Ousmane Dembele; Martin Braithwaite
Manchester City predicted XI (4-3-3): Stefan Ortega; Sergio Gómez, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Rico Lewis; Cole Palmer, Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish; Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez
Where to watch Barcelona vs Manchester City mid-season 2022-23 friendly live in India?
Live streaming of Barcelona vs Manchester City mid-season friendly will be available on CITY+ and BARCA TV+ platforms on a subscription basis.
There will be no live telecast of Barcelona vs Manchester City mid-season friendly on any TV channel in India.
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Featured photo: FC Barcelona
