A brand new football season is back and curtain raisers are everywhere. The arrival of the 2017-18 season has been formally marked by the FA Community Shield match that took place on Sunday between Arsenal and Chelsea.
On Tuesday, we have the UEFA Super Cup 2017 match between Real Madrid and Manchester United, but before that, we have the Joan Gamper Trophy 2017 showdown featuring Barcelona and Chapecoense on Monday August 7.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MATCH
The Joan Gamper Trophy is basically an annual football friendly which is the curtain raiser for Barca's main season. This is the 52nd edition of the tournament and Brazilian side Chapecoense are making their debut.
The Brazilian side, as we all are aware, suffered the biggest tragedy in the history of the club last year after the Colombia Plane Crash 2016. While some of the players from the team succumbed to life, many suffered dreaded injuries.
As a mark of respect and tribute, Barcelona announced last December itself that they would play against Chapecoense in the 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy, which is basically just one match.
"FC Barcelona wants to pay tribute to the 71 people who died in the accident and their families, and will therefore make the 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy a great tribute to the world of football through various activities around this match which will become known as the date of this celebration approaches," mentioned the club statement.
Coming to the team news, Alan Ruschel, one of the survivors of the Colombia Plane Crash, marks his return to the team for the first time after that tragedy. What better way to don the Chapecoense jersey again!
Barcelona, meanwhile, who lost Neymar to a big money transfer from PSG, will be looking forward to new strategies and tactics and basically try to settle with life without Neymar. Are Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez playing in the match on Monday?
Going by the reports, Chapecoense could indeed be up against a strong Barca line-up.
Match schedule
- Date: August 7
- Time: 7:30 pm BST (3:30 pm Brazilian time, 12 am IST - Tuesday)
- Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Where to watch live
India: No coverage
UK: No coverage
Spain: TV - Antena 3
Brazil: TV - SporTV
Live streaming (subscription based): Barca TV
Radio commentary: Radio Barca
Live score: Twitter
