El Clasico: Barcelona, Real Madrid to square off in Las Vegas

Barcelona [Spain], June 11 (ANI): Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are to meet again this summer for a game in Las Vegas on July 23, one of the four that the Catalans will play on their US tour.

In addition to friendlies already announced against Inter Miami FC on July 19 and the New York Red Bulls on July 30, Xavi Hernandez will also be preparing for the forthcoming season with games against Real Madrid on July 23 in Las Vegas and Juventus on July 26 in Dallas.

Football fans in the US are going to be treated to another Clasico on July 23 at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, which holds 65,000 spectators and is the home of the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL.

Barca and Real Madrid are meeting on US soil for the second time, having previously met on 30 July 2017 at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami before a sold out crowd of 64,000 in a game ultimately won by the Catalans, 3-2 with goals from Leo Messi, Ivan Rakitic and Gerard Pique.

There have been two other occasions when the sides met outside of Spain. The most recent was the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup earlier this very year in Riyadh, which also ended 3-2 but this time to Real, while the earliest of all was In Barquisimeto, Venezuela on 30 May 1982, also ending in a Madrid victory, that time 1-0.

FC Barcelona have been to the USA no fewer than 12 times in the past, but this will their first ever trip to Vegas.

Three days later, on July 26, the Blaugrana will be taking on Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas.

It will be the fifth time that Barca have met the Serie A side in the US. The first two were both in 1969, one on May 30 at the Yankee Stadium, New York, a 3-2 win for the Catalans, and another five days later in Chicago, which also ended in Barca victory, 1-0. The teams drew 2-2 in 2003 in Boston, and Barca were again victorious in 2017, this time 2-1 at the MetLife, New Jersey. (ANI)

Source: Sports