WOMEN'S FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Barça v Houston Dash

Saturday (Sunday morning in Europe) brings the last part of the women’s team’s week in the United States as they play for third place in the International Champions Cup.

After losing a cracking semi-final encounter with Olympique Lyonnais, they now return to Providence Park, Portland to take on the Houston Dash, who lost their own semi on penalties to host club and National Women's Soccer League leaders the Portland Thorns after the game had ended 2-2.

The game brings an end to an extremely useful week on the pitch and also in the gym at the Nike World Campus, where Barça have done all of their training sessions bar one.

The game will offer a wonderful test against a side that is already well into its season of the NWSL, in which they currently lie eighth, and that won the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2020.

Comments from Barça coach Jonatan Giráldez

"Playing such top quality preseason games will help spot our strong and weak points.”

“We never like losing even when the result is not the priority. Your stomach churns a different way. But it also does a good to suffer losses like that now and again because we can use them to see where things are going wrong.”

"Barça are popular all around the world and this exposure in the USA is a good thing. Women’s football is promoted differently here, you just have to look at the atmosphere.”

“Individual honours are great but I fully agree with Markel Zubizarreta: this is a team effort.”

Comments from Marta Torrejón

"I expect a physical game with a lot of direct play. It’s good to play in different scenarios, especially preseason. It’ll be interesting to watch.”

“Everyone in this team is ready to play 90 minutes, perhaps apart from the ones that have just joined us.”

“This has been a very good experience. Football is lived intensely here and we love the stadium. I hope more people come than did the other day.”