Barcelona have made a fast start to this summer’s pre-season Clasico in Dallas, going agonisingly close to opening the scoring against Real Madrid.
Xavi Hernandez named a very strong side for the match, as did Carlo Ancelotti. The former named Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu in the starting line-up, meaning that they are making their debuts in El Clasico.
Romeu almost made an instant impact just minutes into the encounter. He fired an incredible volley from the edge of the box which flew past Thibaut Courtois, but the Belgian goalkeeper and Real Madrid were saved by the crossbar.
بالعارضة !! #ElClasico 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/Q5RzEpkeBh
— FCB World (@forcabarca_ar) July 29, 2023
It would have been an incredible start for Romeu, who is certainly under pressure to reach a standard similar to his predecessor, Sergio Busquets.
Barcelona would have dearly loved Romeu’s effort to go in, but they will be buoyed by it, as they look to get the first pre-season victory under their belt.
