Barcelona set to face Real Madrid in pre-season El Clasico in Las Vegas
Barcelona will face Real Madrid in a pre-season Clasico in the USA next month, as announced by both clubs.
As per NDTV Sports, the friendly will take place on Saturday, 23 July, just three weeks before the La Liga season is set to begin.
As part of both sides' American tour, the clash will take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, which can hold up to 65,000 spectators.
OFFICIAL: Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off in Las Vegas this summer! 🤩 https://t.co/zb4gM4QWaa
The encounter in Sin City will be the second time the Spanish giants have faced-off in the States, with a Lionel Messi-led Barca winning 3-2 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in 2017 in front of 64,000 people.
Real Madrid will follow up their game with the Blaugrana with a clash against Mexican side Club America three days later, before facing Serie A giants Juventus in Los Angeles on July 30.
Meanwhile, the Madrid encounter is sandwiched in-between Barca's other US friendly clashes, as they take on David Beckham's Inter Miami, before also facing Juventus. The Catalonian giants finish their tour when they face New York Red Bulls at the end of July.
The first El Clasico of next season between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place in Las Vegas on July 23 as part of the Soccer Champions Tour 🎰 https://t.co/KOGWhxNQcR
Former Real Madrid superstar strongly linked with Barcelona move
Angel Di Maria's comments he made several years ago about Barcelona following his departure from Real Madrid might be about to come true.
The Argentine playmaker left the Spanish capital after four seasons in 2014 to join Manchester United, a move which ultimately proved to be a disaster.
The 34-year-old is searching for a new club after being released by PSG and according to SPORT, Di Maria has already offered his services to the Blaugrana.
The past is the past for Angel Di Maria 😤 https://t.co/bPH9xP2bkk
In an interview with So Foot in 2018, Di Maria stated (as per The Mirror):
"My relationship with Madrid is finished because my cycle there ended. Frankly, I wouldn't have a problem to play at Barca, to the contrary."
The attack-minded Argentina international nearly joined the Camp Nou in 2017 from 2017. He went on to claim:
"I was close to joining Barcelona in the summer and yet far away at the same time," he added. "It is hard to complete moves to these clubs. I never lost hope of it going through but in the end, it didn't happen."