Barcelona manager Hansi Flick to meet with Cesc Fabregas after Joan Gamper Trophy | OneFootball

On Sunday, Barcelona face off against Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy, their traditional curtain raiser ahead of the new season. Hansi Flick will be hoping that his side puts in another strong performance, as he comes face-to-face with a face that is very familiar to those in Catalonia.

Cesc Fabregas has been Como’s head coach over the last couple of seasons, and after a solid mid-table finish in 2024-25, he will be hoping to push his side towards the European places in Italy. And in order to achieve this, he is keen to continuing adding to, and fine-tuning, his ideas – and he plans to do so with the help of Barcelona’s manager.

As per MD, Flick and Fabregas are due to hold a meeting after Sunday’s match, following a request from the latter. His plan is to ask the Barcelona head coach “many tactical questions”, which one of the topics believed to be the Catalans’ well-documented high-line tactic. He confirmed this when he spoke to the media prior to the encounter.

“I would love to spend twenty minutes with him. I have a lot of questions to ask him. He has an idea, he believes in it. They practice high pressure, lateral against full-back…. I think (the offside tactic) is incredible. I’ve asked Alex (Valle), who was in pre-season last season, how they do it, which is novel and intense.”

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Fabregas could eventually become Barcelona manager

Fabregas is considered to be one of football’s hotly-rated young managers due to the work that he has done with Como. He almost became head coach at Inter earlier this summer, and in recent months, it has been reported that he could be a candidate to replace Flick when he decides his time in Catalonia is up.

It will be very interesting to see how Barcelona and Como face off against each other at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Both sides playing a very fluid style of football, and if Fabregas manages to get his side to match last season’s La Liga title winners, it would further emphasise his quality as a coach.