Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Como | Joan Gamper Trophy | OneFootball

Only one game remains before Barcelona officially kick off the new season, and it is the traditional curtain raiser that they have played out for years.

The Joan Gamper Trophy has historically been Barcelona’s last friendly game of the preseason before the start of the official campaign.

It is, thus, not just a game of football but a night where the squad is presented to the fans and the supporters are briefed on the team’s objectives.

This season, Como arrive as Barcelona’s opposition for the prestigious preseason trophy and they will be no easy opponent to get past.

After all, they punched above their weight last season and boast one of the best young projects in the Serie A under Cesc Fabregas.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of the Joan Gamper clash later tonight.

Crucial captain’s speech

Ter Stegen will give the captain’s speech. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s captaincy order has seen a lot of ups and downs in recent days, with the board and Marc-Andre ter Stegen in a constant power struggle.

The goalkeeper, who refused to sign the medical papers that would allow the club to use his salary space to register a new player, was stripped of his captaincy by the club and saw no wrong in exercising his right of discretion.

After a tumultuous set of days at Catalan offices, the player and the board reached a truce. Ter Stegen agreed to sign the papers and left a detailed message on his social media about his love for the club. In exchange, Barcelona reinstated him as the first captain.

As is a tradition in the Joan Gamper trophy, the Barcelona captain will give a speech to the fans later tonight on the exciting season ahead, with the team’s goals and the squad dynamics in mind.

With Ter Stegen now set to deliver that all-important message after a turbulent set of days that saw the fanbase turn against him, it will be interesting to follow his speech and how the crowd receives it.

Who will partner with Cubarsi?

Pau Cubarsi will have a new defensive partner. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Inigo Martinez’s departure leaves a massive void in Barcelona’s squad that seemingly cannot be filled.

The club were indeed overstaffed in the department, but Martinez was a bona fide starter and a key piece in Flick’s offside trap dynamics.

Looking ahead to the Joan Gamper trophy and the season ahead, Pau Cubarsi appears to be a regular starter and will continue to be a key cog given his adaptation to the offside trap. The question that arises, however, is as to who will partner him at the back.

Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia are both seen as full-backs, leaving the manager with two options at the back – Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

The Gamper trophy game tonight will give a massive idea as to who the manager prefers.

From a pure tactical point of view, the Danish star may be the better-suited option given his ball-playing abilities and the glimpses of adaptation he showed to the offside trap in his few games last season.

Araujo, however, arrives as a captain and more influential presence in the dressing room and may thus take the starting spot.

While he is a tenacious and fierce defender, his lapses in concentration and ability to fit into the offside trap can be questioned.

A huge decision, thus, awaits Flick.

The Rashford experiment

Rashford could be Barcelona’s centre forward. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s first big injury jolt arrived even before the start of the new season, and it is Robert Lewandowski who has been sidelined for at least three weeks with a fitness setback.

The player’s period of absence, thus, begins with the Gamper trophy game tonight, and the manager must decide his first-choice backup for the number 9 position.

As it stands, two candidates stand out as contenders for that role – Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford.

While it is clear that the former stands out as a great candidate, the latter made a strong case for himself in the preseason tour.

Despite initially being signed as a left winger, the Manchester United loanee has now convinced the manager that he can serve as an emergency number 9.

He may thus continue to play and audition to serve as an option to be Lewandowski’s backup tomorrow as Flick continues to test the waters.

With Lewandowski now a year older, the need to use him sparingly is paramount. Should the Rashford experiment prove to be a success, it will solve plenty of problems for the manager.