RB Salzburg: the toughest pre-season opponent to date

Three out of three. Barça have won all three games so far this pre-season, putting in better performances as they faced off against higher quality of opposition. They hammered Nàstic, beat Girona (in Memphis Depay's Barça debut) and then saw off Stuttgart in a convincing display. They will play their fourth pre-season friendly this evening against Salzburg, who will be playing in next season's Champions League.

Tough opposition

RedBull Salzburg are much further along in their preparations than Barça, with the Austrian side having already played two league games, registering two victories. They have spent 48 million euros this summer, and have a squad with twelve full internationals and an average age of 22.9 years old. This is proof that the team managed by Matthias Jaissle (33) will be no pushovers in tonight's fixture. In their friendly against Atlético de Madrid last Wednesday, they saw off Los Colchoneros in a 1-0 home win.

Barça are the better side on paper

Despite this, on paper, Barça have the better side. However, having spent the last week being put through their paces by Ronald Koeman and his coaching staff, it remains to be seen how the players' bodies respond to these intense physical demands. The players will come into this game with tired legs - even more so than for the game against Stuttgart.

Sergio Busquets said that "the aim is to get minutes and improve our physical condition, rather than win the game". However, a fourth consecutive pre-season victory against such high level opposition would help boost confidence ahead of Koeman's second season in charge. The Dutch coach has told his squad about the high levels of expectations that have been placed upon them on both a collective and individual level, letting them know in no uncertain terms that wearing the Barça strip is an honour and a responsibility. So far, the players are responding to his words and training sessions with impressive football and good results, but there is a long way still to go.

Juventus up next

Barça will play against Juventus in the Joan Gamper Trophy this Sunday. The game, which will be held at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, will be their final game before the curtain-raiser against Real Sociedad on 15 August. Koeman has planned the squad's pre-season schedule in such a way that will allow them to arrive at the opening game in peak condition, gradually increasing the quality of opposition. He wants to avoid what happened last year, when the team got off to a sluggish start. So far, things seem to be progressing well.