FC Barcelona will play its first friendly match of the 2022/23 pre-season against Unió Esportiva Olot on July 13, coinciding with the centenary year of the La Garrotxa club. The match will be played at the Municipal Stadium of Olot, kick-off at 19:00 CEST.
Barca actually start the 2022/23 pre-season on July 4 with the relevant medical tests and the first training session. The match against Olot will be the Catalans’ first match of the summer and six days before the first of FC Barcelona’s four matches as part of their United States tour (July 19 in Miami).
Olot, promoted to Segunda RFEF
Xavi Hernández’s side start their pre-season program against a team that has just been promoted to the Segunda RFEF. The La Garrotxa region team, coached by Manix Mandiola, finished second in Tercera RFEF Group V, before beating Sant Andreu and Girona B in the league qualifiers. Promotion to the Segunda RFEF was confirmed with a 1-0 victory against the CD Tenerife B side on May 22 in Las Rozas.
Olot friendly 42 years since the previous meeting
The game in Olot will be the first between the clubs since 1980. The match on May 7, 1980 ended in a 1-3 victory for Barca, which was the last of 10 games between the teams. The other games were played in 1913, 1923, 1939, 1948, 1949, 1956, 1963, 1968 and 1972, with all matches played in Olot. The Garrocha team was founded in 1921 and celebrated its centenary in the 2021/22 season.
Away from the first team, Barca B and UE Olot faced each other last season, with the home side winning each game 2-1.
