Barcelona defensive duo talk Sergi Roberto, Como ahead of Joan Gamper Trophy – “It will be a special match” | OneFootball

Barcelona are set to wrap up their pre-season on Sunday night with the Joan Gamper Trophy clash against Serie A side Como – the final test before La Liga kicks off later this month.

Speaking ahead of the game, Barcelona defenders Alejandro Balde and Pau Cubarsi spoke to the club’s official media, offering their preview of the Como match as well as talking about Sergi Roberto.

The Barcelona legend is currently plying his trade for Como, having left the club in

What Cubarsi and Balde said ahead of Joan Gamper

Cubarsi was ecstatic to participate in the Joan Gamper Trophy, which holds a lot of prestige for Barcelona.

“Presenting ourselves to the fans at Joan Gamper is always something special. We are excited for the new season. We hope to play well with great enthusiasm,” the youngster said.

The young centre-back also spoke about the return of familiar faces in the form of Sergi Roberto as well as former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

“I was with Sergi [Roberto] in my early years with the first team; he’s a great person and helped me a lot. Cesc [Fàbregas], I used to watch him on TV, but we’re happy to have them back here,” he said.

Cubarsi is ready for the new season (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

On Barcelona’s readiness for the league campaign, Cubarsi sounded confident and excited.

“I believe we’ve had a good preparatory season, we worked hard, and I think in tomorrow’s match we can give an extra push to start the league in a proper way. We are excited for the start of the real matches and looking forward to them,” he said.

Cubarsi will have a new defensive partner this summer as veteran Inigo Martinez is set to leave the club this summer, in favour of a move to Al Nassr.

Nevertheless, Alejandro Balde also chimed in, echoing Cubarsi’s optimism heading into this Joan Gamper trophy match.

“The Como match will be special; it’s the last match of the pre-season, and I think we’ve had a good preparatory season. We are ready for the start of the league,” he said.

The young left also talked about facing Sergi Roberto, adding, “I think it will be a great match [against Como], they are a very good opponent. Sergi is here, and we have a great relationship with him. So it will be a special match.”

Balde, in fact, is excited to kickstart the new season as he looks to elevate his game even further and help Barcelona compete for all titles.

“I can’t wait for the new season to start. I’m sure this season will be amazing,” he concluded.