FC Barcelona today announced the dates and some initial details of two preseason friendlies, in Germany and Morocco, which will mark Tito Vilanova’s first games as coach of Barça.

On July 24, the blaugrana squad will travel to Germany to face Hamburg SV on the occasion of the home team’s 125th anniversary. The match will take place at the Imtech Arena, a FIFA 5-star stadium, which was built in 2001, holds 57,000 fans, and was one of the stadiums used during the 2006 World Cup.

Hamburg SV was founded in 1887 and is one of Germany’s most historic clubs, having won the Bundesliga seven times and the European Cup once, in 1983. Last season, they finished 15th in the table with a record of 8 wins, 12 draws and 14 losses, with Croatia’s Mladen Petric the top scorer with seven goals.

Barça’s second preseason game will be in Tangiers , Morocco, on July 28, four days after the match in Hamburg. More details of the match will be announced by vice president for the Social Area Jordi Cardoner i Casaus, and the director of the Marketing and Commercial Area Laurent Colette, who will speak about the game and the various social events planned around it at a press conference on Wednesday.

As for the start of official games, specifically the 2012-13 Liga season, the LFP has approved next year’s calendar, which is set to begin on the weekend of August 19, 2012,  finishing on June 1, 2013.

So far, only one midweek League game has been scheduled, in week 37, set to be played May 29th. This might change depending on if any team from the First Division qualifies for the Champions League final (May 25th).

After this year’s trouble finding a suitable date for the Copa del Rey, next season’s final has already tentatively been set for Wednesday, May 8, but if the RFEF dismisses this date, May 18th is the other option.

The Second Division’s calendar has also been set, with Barça B and the other 21 teams set to kick off also on the weekend of August 19th, finishing on the 9th of June.

Source: fcbarcelona.cat; Image: Claudio Chaves