Barcelona will take on Segunda División B side FC Cartagena at the Estadio Cartagonova on November 13, during the international break, ?the club has announced.
Following last month’s floods in the Spanish province of Murcia, the match will be played to generate money to those who were affected.
During September, Murcia was hit with heavy rain and subsequent floods that caused damage estimated at between €170-190m, according to the Insurance Compensation Consortium, with around 30,000 people affected, as reported by ?Marca.
With the majority of Barcelona’s top players scheduled to be away on international duty, it is likely the Catalan giants will field a second-string lineup which is likely to include some of the younger players from ?Barça B. Riqué Puig, Alex Collado and goalkeeper Iñaki Peña will most likely get the nod for the charity match, while 16-year-old Englishman Louie Barry may get a run out.
The game could also see a few first-team stars included, with the likes of second choice shot-stopper Neto, Jean-Clair Todibo, Carles Aleñá, Moussa Wagué, and Carles Pérez all unlikely to be involved in international duty.
While the appearance of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann or Luis Suárez is beyond unlikely, Gerard Piqué is one big-name player who could be involved, having retired from international duty back in 2018. However, whether a star of his calibre will be risked in any possible lineup is unknown at this stage.
Ernesto Valverde’s side have played Cartagena six times before, and this will be the third friendly meeting, following one at Les Corts way back in 1931 and another in Cartagena in 1965.
The most recent encounters have come in the Copa del Rey. Barça progressed on both occasions, 1988/19 and 2013/14, with the last game being a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou on 17 December 2013, with a Pedro finish, Mariano Sánchez own goal and Neymar header.
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