Two clubs looking to return to form will do battle today in a friendly between OGC Nice and Barcelona. The match scheduled for 2 p.m. ET will be held at the Allianz Arena in NIce and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
Barcelona return to the pitch to make their final preparations for the upcoming La Liga campaign. The standard, however, has already been set by manager Luis Enrique. The Gijon native is looking for comprehensive performances throughout the season.
"I want a team that is faithful to everything that has won it so much before," he said (via the club's official website). "A team that scores goals, that defends well, that has playing resources, that plays the same at home and away. I don't just want results. I also want to win playing nice football."
"I am a born leader myself," he added. "And I lead this team. The challenge is to ensure that this has an impact on the team."
Barcelona will look to be the ones making an impact on the pitch at the Allianz Arena this afternoon.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: For all their attacking prowess, it's the central defense that ultimately cost Barcelona silverware last season. One of the impact signings made this summer to rectify that was the signing of center-back Jeremy Mathieu. The 30-year-old made 32 league appearances for Valencia last season, averaging 1.9 tackles, 2.5 interceptions and 6.5 clearances per match.
Nice's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hassen; Amavi, Genevois, Gomis, Puel; Digard, Traore; Bautheac, Eysseric, Pied; Cvitanich
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Bravo; Montoya, Mathieu, Pique, Alba; Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic; Deulofeu, Rodriguez, Ramirez
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