LAS VEGAS, Nev. — It’s the entertainment capital of the world, home to gambling meccas like Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, and over the decades it’s played host to a wide variety of performers from the world of the show of singers like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. to magicians like David Copperfield. But for all the glamor and glitz, the endless flashing neon signage, and the can’t-miss extravaganzas that bring millions of people into the middle of the Mojave Desert, there’s one world-famous show that Las Vegas has never done . witnessed before: El Clásico.
That a Clasico friendly is an oxymoron is old news. Pre-season or not, whoever makes the starting XI and the players who take to the pitch after the inevitable wave of second-half substitutions will no doubt be playing to keep. This is because every meeting between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, regardless of the competition in which it is contested, has a common denominator at stake: pride.
Saturday’s clash with Los Blancos will be Barça’s third pre-season friendly and the second of their 2022 summer tour in the United States. The Catalans unceremoniously defeated Inter Miami with a stunning 6-0 win in South Florida on Tuesday, but they were playing without their new signing and two-time European Golden Boot winner Robert Lewandowski. , and the current holder of FIFA. The best prize — who joined the team in Fort Lauderdale and could make his Barça debut against Los Madridistas.
The mastermind and chief strategist of the Barcelona team, coach Xavi Hernández, will also be present, who overcame visa problems to join the team five days into the tour – he missed the game of ‘Inter Miami— but he will lead his men into battle against their eternal rivals. .
The launch is scheduled for Saturday at 8:00 PM PDT (5:00 AM CEST Barcelona) at Allegiant Stadium, the two-year-old domed gem that is the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Tickets for the match are sold out.
It is the second of the four games scheduled for Barça on American soil this summer. After Las Vegas, the Catalans will face Juventus in Dallas and the New York Red Bulls in New York.