Champions league quality Gamper

Barcelona (FCB).- Monday night brings the traditional season opener at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona's trophy, the Joan Gamper, named after the club's founder. Tonight the European champions, FC Barcelona, face the side that finished third in last season’s Serie A, Napoli. Both clubs are also through to the group stages of this year’s Champions League, and the Italians will be in pot three or four when the draw is made in Monaco, meaning they could well face the Catalans again.

Last test of the preseason

Although it is ‘just’ a friendly, Barça and Napoli are treating this game very seriously indeed as they warm up the engines for the start of their respective seasons. Guardiola’s side takes part in the European Supercup on Friday against Porto, while Napoli get their Serie A campaign under way on Sunday at home to Genoa.

So Guardiola and Mazzarri will be looking to use the Gamper to try things out for the last time before things get really serious. The Barça manager is expected to field as many players as he can.

Maradona bond

Barça and Napoli have never met in an official competition before, and have only ever played one friendly, but are united by the legacy of the great Diego Armando Maradona. The Argentinean left Barcelona in the summer of 1984, and it was in the San Paolo that the world witnessed him at his peak. Napoli, spurred on by the all-time great, won two league titles, one Italian Cup and the UEFA Cup.

Fiesta and team presentation before

But after Maradona left, Napoli fell on hard times. Midway through the last decade, they almost disappeared entirely, and took some time to return to the elite. But with players of the calibre of Cavani, Hamsik and Lavezzi in the side, they have finally made their way back into the Champions League.

The Gamper party has started long before the game kicks off. There have been all kinds of activities going on at the Camp Nou all day, and around 19.50, the first team squad will be officially presented to the fans.