Barcelona Held to Surprise Stalemate in Preseason Friendly Game Against Fellow Catalan Side, Olot

• Barcelona opened their pre-season account with a draw against minnow Catalan side, Olot away from home
• Olot scored a penalty in the first half in front of their home fans to draw level with Barcelona and share the spoils
• Barcelona will next travel to the United States of America to take on David Beckham's Inter Miami CF

Barcelona gave two of their new signings a run-out when they took on Olot in a pre-season friendly.

The Catalan giants took on a fellow Catalan side in Olot, but could only be held to a 1-1 draw.

Xavi’s new-look Barcelona saw Pablo Torre and Franck Kessie get their first starts for the side but it was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who broke the deadlock for the Blaugrana, ESPN reported.

Aubameyang latched onto a long kick from Marc-Andre ter Stegen and lobbed it into the corner of the goals.

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Olot were only behind for just under 17 minutes. The home side won a penalty on the stroke of halftime and Eloi Amagat converted the spot kick to make it 1-1.

Barca made nine changes for the second half but neither side could conjure up a winner. Pedri had two big chances to give the visitors the win but goalkeeper Albert Batalla was in fine form as both sides were forced to share the spoils.

Who are Olot?

According to their Wikipedia page, Unió Esportiva Olot (or Olot as they are more commonly known) are a Catalan club founded in 1921.

They currently play in Tercera División RFEF, the fifth tier of Spanish football. Their home stadium has a capacity of only 3 000 seats and all 3 000 seats were filled for Barcelona’s visit.

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What is Barcelona's next game?

Barcelona will next take on Major League Soccer's Inter Miami CF on July 19 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Inter Miami are part-owned by David Beckham and are coached by Phil Neville.

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Spanish giants Barcelona are willing to include Memphis Depay in a deal to sign French defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla.

The La Liga powerhouse are keen to add some new reinforcements at the back ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season.

Kounde has been one of Xavi’s top targets this summer as the Barcelona manager considers the French defender as a long-term replacement for Gerard Pique, who has been struggling with injuries in recent seasons.