On Wednesday night, Barcelona will play a preseason friendly against Spanish fourth-tier team Olot to kick off their preparations for the 2022–23 season.
Xavi's team is preparing for their La Liga debut against Rayo Vallecano at home on August 13, and the club has already had a busy summer in terms of signings and departures.
Olot competed in the Tercera Division RFEF - Group 5 last season, the fourth tier of the Spanish league structure, but after being promoted, they will move up to the fourth tier for 2022–23.
Following their relegation in 2020–21, Manix Mandiola's team fell into the fifth division, but they were able to secure promotion back to the Segunda Division RFEF at the first attempt.
Ernest Forgas, Gonzalo Pereira, and Sebas Coris are just a few of the newcomers to the Catalan club this summer, all of whom joined on free transfers.
Olot has also allowed five first-team players to leave ahead of the new season, and it is anticipated that more business will be done before the transfer.It will be fascinating to watch how their players fare against their illustrious opponents, and the match against Barcelona will provide them with the ideal opportunity to test themselves at the greatest level.
Barcelona finished the previous campaign without a trophy, experiencing failure in the Copa del Rey, Champions League, and Europa League, while placing second to Real Madrid in the La Liga standings.
Xavi made a significant impact after taking over as head coach in November, and despite their financial difficulties, the club has big plans for this summer, with deals for Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich and Raphinha of Leeds United reportedly moving forward.
Clement Lenglet and Dani Alves left the club, while Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen joined on free transfers. Ousmane Dembele is also out of contract and will not play here while negotiations for a new contract are ongoing. Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong have returned to their original clubs.
Barcelona will prepare for the new season by playing Inter Miami, Real Madrid, Juventus, New York Red Bulls, and Pumas UNAM.
On August 13, the team's 2022–23 La Liga campaign will be underway against Rayo Vallecano at home. They will also face Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid in the first month of the new season.
Olot possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Blazquez, Ayala, Mas, D Bigas; Serrano, Urri, Terma; Coros, Forgas, Brugue
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Christensen, Araujo, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Kessie; Memphis, Aubameyoung
We say: Olot 0-4 Barcelona
There is simply no comparing the sides when it comes to quality, and we are finding it difficult to predict anything other than a strong victory for Barcelona in this pre-season contest, particularly as a number of players will be looking to make a strong impression on Xavi.