When and where is the Barcelona vs Australian A-League All Stars game?
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Spanish soccer giants Barcelona will face an A-League All Stars side in Sydney next month – with the timing raising questions among local fans.
The match – locked for Wednesday May 25, is in the A-League’s big final week and can’t help but conceal the final of a competition that has already encountered serious crowd and viewership problems at the television this season.
Players from Grand Final teams will not feature in a game heavily promoted online by A-League clubs, which hurts the quality of the opposition as well as the showpiece match.
A full house is nevertheless expected in the 83,500-seat stadium and the Spanish club have assured the organizers that they will bring a full team.
Barca, who are one of three teams within 12 points of runaway La Liga leaders Real Madrid this season, boast stars such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Pedri, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Jordi Alba.
While this friendly style of football has proven financially popular in Australia – with visits from top clubs such as Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool and others in recent years and Celtic scheduled for this off-season of north – the timing was questioned by home fans. While it’s common for rival Codes to attempt to disrupt Grand Events in another, it’s unusual for one Code to do so for its own Flagship Event.
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