Hansi Flick, the former Bayern Munich and Germany coach, is set to manage his first competitive match for Barcelona on Saturday as they face Valencia in the opening weekend of the new La Liga season.
Barcelona finished second last season, trailing their rivals Real Madrid by 10 points. Flick steps into the role amid challenging circumstances, as the team is grappling with a significant injury crisis that affects vice-captain Ronald Araujo, vital midfielder Pedri, and Dutch player Frenkie de Jong. New signing Dani Olmo is also likely to miss the match.
Valencia, on the other hand, aims for improvement after finishing midtable last season under manager Ruben Baraja, a notable recovery from their near-relegation experience in the previous campaign.
The match will take place at Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, August 17, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. CEST, which translates to 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US, 8 p.m. in the UK, and 5 a.m. AEST in Australia on Sunday.
Fans looking to watch the game live in the US can stream all La Liga matches through ESPN Plus, which holds both English and Spanish broadcasting rights. This match will also be broadcast live on ABC.
For viewers unable to access local broadcasts, using a VPN can help overcome geographic restrictions while ensuring privacy and security when streaming. It’s legal to use a VPN in many countries, including the US and UK, as long as you have a valid subscription to the streaming service.
In the UK, Premier Sports is the rights holder for La Liga, offering a dedicated channel that broadcasts at least five matches weekly. Subscriptions start at £8 per month.
In Canada, TSN holds coverage rights for La Liga, with live matches available through its platforms, including the TSN Plus streaming service for CAD 8 per month.
Australian fans can catch La Liga games live on BeIn Sports, which owns the broadcast rights in that region.