Hansi Flick, the former coach of Bayern Munich and Germany, will lead Barcelona for the first time in a competitive match on Saturday as his team visits Valencia for the opening weekend of the new La Liga season.
Last season, Barcelona finished second, trailing rivals Real Madrid by 10 points. Flick steps into the role amid challenging conditions, as the team faces a significant injury crisis that affects key players including vice-captain Ronald Araujo, midfielder Pedri, and Dutch star Frenkie de Jong. Additionally, summer signing Dani Olmo is also expected to miss the game.
Valencia, under manager Ruben Baraja, ended the previous season in midtable, a notable improvement after a prior season that saw them dangerously close to relegation. This shift has led to heightened expectations for the current season as the club aims for a return to regular European competition.
The match will take place at Mestalla Stadium on Saturday, August 17, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. CEST local time, which translates to 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the U.S., 8 p.m. in the UK, and 5 a.m. AEST in Australia on Sunday.
For viewers looking to watch the match live, there are several options available. In the U.S., La Liga matches can be streamed through ESPN Plus, which offers both English and Spanish broadcasts. This particular match will also be shown live on ABC.
In the UK, Premier Sports holds broadcast rights for La Liga, offering at least five live matches per week on its dedicated channel. A monthly subscription starts at £8.
Canadian viewers can catch the action on TSN, which provides coverage of La Liga on its linear channels and TSN Plus streaming platform, available for CA$8 a month.
In Australia, BeIn Sports continues to carry live broadcasts of La Liga matches for football fans.
With these options, fans worldwide can enjoy the much-anticipated match as Barcelona begins its new season under Hansi Flick’s management.