Barcelona Pre-Season Schedule 2015: Fixtures, Dates, Live Stream and TV Info

Replicating the astounding achievements of the 2014-15 season will be an almighty ask for Barcelona, but work toward another possible treble triumph will begin with some glamorous pre-season fixtures.

Given the participation of superstar forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar in the summer’s Copa America, neither are expected to return for the opening matches of Barca’s International Champions Cup clashes. But games against Los Angeles Galaxy, Manchester United, Chelsea and Fiorentina should make for intriguing encounters, as will the Joan Gamper Trophy tie against AS Roma.

Here’s a closer look at where you can catch the Blaugrana’s preparations for the new season and what key storylines there are to look out for when watching these encounters.

Date	Competition	Opponent	TV Details
July 22	International Champions Cup	Los Angeles Galaxy	Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (US)
July 25	International Champions Cup	Manchester United	Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (US)
July 29	International Champions Cup	Chesea	Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (US)
August 2	International Champions Cup	Fiorentina	Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (US)
August 5	Joan Gamper Trophy	Roma	TBC

Matches can be streamed via Sky Go (UK) and Fox Sports Go (US).

Young Players Looking to Impress

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Although Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has made some savvy signings in the summer window, neither Aleix Vidal nor Arda Turan will be able to play for the Catalan giants until January 2016. So if the manager is to freshen up his squad with some new faces, he may turn to some academy talents.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell ran the rule over some of the club’s prodigious talents who will be looking to make major impressions in these pre-season games:

With Messi and Neymar still recuperating, there’s likely to be a spot in the attacking lineup for Munir El Haddadi. The 19-year-old was a key component in the early stages of last season, notching a goal on the opening day. But the forging of Barca’s stunning attacking triumvirate left the La Masia starlet struggling for minutes.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

As noted by Barcelona’s official Twitter feed, Enrique expects both Munir and his team-mate Sandro Ramirez to take some big steps this season:

For Sergi Samper, these games are a chance to shine too. The holding midfielder is seen by many in Catalonia as the most natural heir to Sergio Busquets at the base of the Barcelona midfield and it’s important the 20-year-old shows in these games that he has the talent to step into the Spaniard’s shoes in the event of injury or suspension.

The La Masia starlet has certainly looked sharp ahead of the pre-season encounters, as we can see here, per Football_Tweet:

While those in Barcelona will be itching to see some of the club’s revered academy prospects in action, those likely to pack out venues stateside will be desperate to catch a glimpse of some of the superstar talents that spearheaded the team's treble tilt last season. Luis Suarez is definitely a man who falls into that category.

Here’s a reminder of how the Uruguayan fared in his first season with the Blaugrana:

Ominously for the rest of La Liga and Europe, Suarez could be even better with a full pre-season schedule under his belt. The striker’s ban from international football means he will have had a chance to fully replenish this summer and unlike last season, Suarez will be in situ from the first day of the domestic campaign.

Michael Probst/Associated Press

As noted by Bleacher Report UK, despite not featuring for his new club until October 2014 because of the sanctions against him, overall, Suarez had a pretty good debut campaign:

It’ll be frustrating for Enrique that his players are returning to the fold in dribs and drabs, making it tough to integrate any kind of rhythm into the pre-season campaign. But these games represent a fine chance to give the players some pretty competitive game time prior to the serious stuff getting underway and an opportunity for some on the periphery of the squad to make a mark.

It’s squad competition that will be vital if Barca are to thrive once again in 2015-16. It’d only be natural if motivation levels were to drop after conquering all before them, but if some players can emerge as serious challengers to the usual first XI, the Blaugrana will find it much easier to re-scale the astounding heights they’ve showcased in 2015 so far.