FC Barcelona vs Como 1907: Hansi Flick's team seeks to regain the Gamper crown

The 60th edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy arrives after a surreal week for FC Barcelona. After the thrashing against Daegu and the return to Catalonia after a successful Asian pre-season tour, Hansi Flick's team found an unexpected powder keg upon returning to the Ciutat Esportiva, a result of the injury to Marc-André ter Stegen.

The German, after several days of tension, finally decided to sign the club's medical report, with which LaLiga will determine his time off. Amidst the expectation for the future of the '1', Iñigo Martínez, against all odds, resolved his departure from the club to sign for the Saudi Al Nassr.

Thus, Barça arrives at the Gamper having smoothed things over with Ter Stegen with a much more favorable outlook regarding the 'Fair Play' issue and the registration of their reinforcements, but with a significant absence in their defense. Facing them will be Como, a revelation team from the past Serie A that brings many familiar faces to the Johan Cruyff Stadium. 

Barça, aiming for a full set of victories in the 2025 pre-season

Beyond the off-field matters, Barça arrives at the Gamper in great form. Flick's team added three out of three victories in their Asian tour against Vissel Kobe (1-3), FC Seoul (3-7), and Daegu FC (0-5), with a total of 15 goals in favor and only 4 against.

The team, although it left some doubts in defense in the first two matches, once again showed a very high effectiveness in attack. Gavi, with 3 goals, was the top scorer of the expedition through Asia, while Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, and Robert Lewandowski scored a couple of goals each.

However, of the three forwards, only the '10' will be available from the start for Barça. 'Lewy' is a confirmed absence due to injury, while the 'Shark' missed the match in Daegu and it is still not certain whether he will see any minutes. Dani Olmo also arrives with some discomfort, while Marc Bernal continues without medical clearance.

For Lamine, the match will be very special, as he will wear his new number for the first time in front of the 'culé' fans. It will also be the official debut at home for Joan García, Roony Bardghji, and Marcus Rashford. The three saw action in Asia, with goals for the Swede and the Englishman, in addition to full starts for the Catalan.

Barça's 2025 pre-season:

1. 🟢Vissel Kobe vs FC Barcelona (0-3)

2. 🟢FC Seoul vs FC Barcelona (3-7)

3. 🟢Daegu FC vs FC Barcelona (0-5)

Many familiar faces in a Como with quality and experience

Facing them will be Como from Italy, a team that comes from finishing the past season in tenth position in Serie A under the leadership of a former 'azulgrana' youth player. Cesc Fàbregas has taken charge of a very ambitious sports project, which already has two other players trained at La Masia in its squad.

Sergi Roberto and Álex Valle, the latter transferred in the current transfer window, will be starters in the Italian team. The Lombard team has also left very good impressions in its 2025 pre-season, with a thrashing against Ajax (0-3) and a narrow victory against Betis (2-3) in a very heated match that included a regrettable brawl in Cádiz.

Previously, Fàbregas's team also defeated Lille (3-2) and Al-Ahli Saudi (3-1). Their last defeat was at the end of Serie A, against Inter (0-2). Among their main figures are the Argentine Nico Paz (trained by Real Madrid) and the forwards Patrick Cutrone (Italy) and Anastasios Douvikas (Greece).

Como's 2025 pre-season:

1. 🟢Como vs Lille (3-2)

2. 🟢Al-Ahli vs Como (1-3)

3. 🟢Ajax vs Como (0-3)

4. 🟢Betis vs Como (2-3)

Barça, aiming for their 47th victory in the Joan Gamper Trophy

For Hansi Flick's Barcelona, there is another extra ingredient to go all out for victory in the Joan Gamper Trophy. In the 2024 edition, the 'azulgrana' team surprisingly fell against AS Monaco (0-3) at the Lluís Companys de Montjuïc.

This Sunday, the match will be played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, which for the second time will host the traditional friendly with which Barça begins its season. In 2021, the 'culés' defeated Juventus (3-0) in a match played there due to health restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic.

This year, the headquarters of Barça Women will host the match while the works at the Spotify Camp Nou are being completed. The club failed to obtain the partial occupancy license for the Gamper, but it did for the start of LaLiga at home, in mid-September against Valencia.

In the 59 previous editions, there were 46 victories for Barça and 13 for other teams. Only Cologne from Germany was able to obtain victory on more than one occasion (2), taking the editions of 1978 and 1981. Between 1966 and 1996, the trophy was disputed through a quadrangular that included semi-finals and a match for third place.

Since 1997, the Gamper has been played in a single match. Juventus (2005), Manchester City (2009), Sampdoria (2012), and Monaco (2024) have been the only ones capable of defeating Barça since then. Curiously, both Pep Guardiola and Hansi Flick fell in their presentation before completing historic seasons.

All the details of FC Barcelona vs Como: lineups, stadium, and more

1. Stadium: Johan Cruyff Stadium (Barcelona, Spain)
2. Capacity: 6,000 spectators
3. FC Barcelona (probable XI): Joan García; Koundé, Ronald Araujo, Cubarsí, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri González, Gavi; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Marcus Rashford
4. Como 1907 (probable XI): Butez; Sergi Roberto, Goldaniga, Kempf, Álex Valle; Perrone, Nico Paz, Cutrone; Da Cunha, Diao, Douvikas
5. Referee: To be defined.