Barcelona winger, Marcus Rashford could make his first home appearance of the season for Barcelona in a far smaller venue than he anticipated.
Although the club had hoped to kick off their title defence at the newly renovated Nou Camp, ongoing delays mean they will instead host their first home match at the much smaller Johan Cruyff Stadium, which holds just 6,000 spectators.
This unexpected change is due to delays in completing renovations at the Nou Camp, which was originally supposed to reopen in November 2024 to mark the club’s 125th anniversary.
Barcelona had already arranged to play their first three matches away to give construction teams extra time.
However, despite the added buffer, the club has not yet received the necessary safety and occupancy permits to reopen the stadium to fans.
According to BBC Sports on Sunday, the Olympic Stadium, used as their substitute home ground for the past two seasons, is the venue for a Post Malone concert two days before the match, ruling it out of use for Sunday.
Barcelona last played at the Nou Camp in May 2023 – a stadium which could hold up to 100,000 people.
Barcelona’s iconic Nou Camp stadium, officially known as Spotify Camp Nou, has been undergoing a massive renovation project since 2023, part of the club’s long-term infrastructure plan known as Espai Barça.
The aim is to modernise the stadium, increase its capacity, improve sustainability, and enhance fan experience, with a projected capacity of over 100,000 seats upon completion
