Barcelona begin their much anticipated 2022-23 season on Saturday when they welcome Rayo Vallecano for Matchday 1 in La Liga. All eyes are on what Barca players will be available as the club have dealt with issues registering their players due to their financial circumstances. If they are without key players as a result, it could be rough times ahead for a team that just activated their fourth “lever” by selling a large portion of their media arm.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
Date: Saturday, Aug. 13 | Hour: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Camp Nou — Barcelona
Television: ABC and ESPN Deportes | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: Barcelona -530; Draw +575; Rayo +1500 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Barcelona: The full squad announced on Saturday does include the likes of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Frank Kessie duck Andreas Christensenthough center back signing Jules Kounde, a sure starter, is still unregistered. Barca still reportedly need to free up space on their wages bill to get the French international into the team. They are almost there in terms of the squad that they want, but there is still plenty of work to be done.
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Rayo: The club has looked pretty sharp in the preseason, not losing a match while drawing at Manchester United. Although friendly results mean next to nothing, this is a team that finished in 12th place last season. They’ve got players with a ton of experience, and while they won’t wow you, they are still effective in playing the style they want and putting together gritty defensive showings. They’ll need to be sharp here, especially defensively on the wings with Barca’s pace and technique.
Prediction
Robert Lewandowski scores on his Barca debut and the hosts win easily. Pick: Barca 3, Rayo 0