First time in Gamper, but unbeaten against Monaco

The US Tour now over, the next challenge for FC Barcelona is the 59th edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy,which this year is against AS Monaco on Monday 12 August at 8pm CEST.

Four previous meetings

In their centenary season, this is the first time that the runners-up in last season’s French league have ever been the guests at the traditional curtain-raiser to the Barça season. But it is by no means the first time that two clubs have faced each other.

Two games two years in a row

We have to go back more than half a century for the first two instances. On 3 June 1959, the clubs met in an end-of-season friendly in Barcelona. That game ended 2-2, with Czibor and Vergés netting for the home side..

A year later, the Monegasque side was back, but this time were subjected to a resounding 5-1 defeat, with Czibor again scoring, this time not once but twice, his fellow Hungarian legend Kubala getting another, the brilliant Luis Suárez also getting on the scoresheet, and the final goal converted by Suco.

Back-to.back wins in UCL

We had to wait until 1993/94 for the next meetings between the sides, and the only competitive ones to date, when they were drawn in the same Champions League group.

Managed by Johan Cruyff, Barça got off to a fine start by winning the first game at Camp Nou, 2-0, with both goals scored by Txiki Begiristáin. And Hristo Stoichkov was the hero in Monte Carlo as the Catalans bagged a 1-0 victory, although it mattered little to the sides as they had both already qualified at the expense of Spartak Moscow and Galatasaray. Barça would go on to reach the final, but lost in Athens to AC Milan.

Fifth meeting

Thirty years have passed since then and despite both being regular Champions League campaigners, Barça and Monaco have not met since. All that’s about to change on Monday… And who knows? They may be meeting later on this season in the Champions League too…