FC Barcelona are more than ready for the start of the official season, which for them begins with next Saturday’s trip to Mallorca. After amassing three convincing wins in the Far East, today was the biggest test of all in their preseason preparations. Como 1907 may not the best known team in Serie A, but a lot is being said about the side coached by former Barça man Cesc Fàbregas, who finished tenth in the league last season and who many are tipping to go even higher this year.

But the Italians were utterly outplayed from start to finish in a Gamper with a difference, played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, and the game was as good as over by half-time after the Catalans had already found the net no fewer than four times.

A further goal was scored shortly after the restart and the message is loud and clear. Barça 2025-26 is very, very promising indeed. If this preseason has been anything to by (20 goals in four games), we have a lot to look forward to in the season that is only just beginning.

Fab Fermin

The first half was the Fermín López show, the 22-year-old not only claiming the first goal, but the second one too, and was rewarded with the MVP trophy after the final whistle.

The visitors will be annoyed about the first, making a mess of things as they passed the ball out of defence and allowing Fermín to snatch a chance to shoot home from the edge of the box.

That was on 20 minutes and on 35 he did it again. Frenkie de Jong cleverly delivered a pass back from the goal-line and from almost the same spot where he scored the first, Fermin drove the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Raphinha joins the party

With Barça legend Sergi Roberto among their ranks, Como had made a lively start, but their forwards struggled to deal with Barça’s high defensive line and offside trap, and now their defenders were finding it just as hard against the magnificent Catalan attack.

For there would be two more goals for the home fans to celebrate before the break.

Martin Rashford brilliantly picked out Raphinha at the far post and the Brazilian made it 3-0, and then the goalscorer became goalmaker, stealing the ball in the Como box and setting up Lamine Yamal for a simple tap-in.

Lamine makes it five

Unlike the games on the Asian tour, Hansi Flick only made a couple of changes at the break, and one of incoming players, Ferran Torres, made an impact from the start. With an assist as lovely as that and with a man like Lamine Yamal on the end of it, only one thing could happen. In it curled and that was goal number five!

Barça were on such a roll that even more goals looked on the cards, but the numerous substitutions combined with squandered chances and a certain drop in intensity, not to mention Como’s renewed verve as they sought to avoid an even more severe beating, meant the remainder of the game was a less eventful affair and there were no further goals to savour.

But Barça had already more than done the job. The icing on the cake of a near-perfect preseason, and attention turns to the trip to the Balearic Islands next weekend. What we saw today is just the start of it… Now things get really serious, and we can’t wait!