FC Barcelona and Real Madrid set for second meeting on US soil

Las Vegas is always a fun place to be, but it’s even better when you’re there for a game against your biggest rival. 5.00am CEST is a very curious time for a meeting between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, but it will be 8.00pm in the Allegiant Stadium when the two teams clash for the second time in a preseason friendly in the US.

The previous encounter was on the other side of the country and the city that Barça have just left, Miami. On 30 July 2017, the Hard Rock Stadium was the venue for the Clásico between teams coached by Ernesto Valverde and Zinedine Zidane. It was the Catalans who had the upper hand, winning 3-2 courtesy of goals from Leo Messi, Ivan Rakitic and Gerard Piqué. Kovacic and Asensio were on target for the opposition.

Now that Xavi Hernández has finally sorted out his passport issues, he’ll be back at the helm for this one after the team had to make do without him in their opening game against Inter Miami, but still managed to bang in six goals to no reply.

The last time Barça met Madrid was at the Santiago Bernabéu last season, with the Catalans winning by a remarkable 4-0.

Possible Lewandowski debut

The other potential highlight of this game could be the debut of Robert Lewandowski, who is now fully available and raring to go. For viewers back home in Europe, there are more than enough reasons to rearrange their schedules and get set for either a very early morning or an extremely late night!