BARCELONA : Barcelona will kick off their home LaLiga campaign in front of 6,000 fans at their training ground stadium after Camp Nou renovation delays left the Spanish giants effectively homeless.

The club announced on Tuesday that they will face Valencia at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Sunday, a modest venue at their Sant Joan Despi training facilities on the outskirts of Barcelona.

The move to stage their fourth LaLiga game this season there comes after the iconic Camp Nou renovation fell nine months behind schedule, forcing the club to find a temporary solution.

The cramped 6,000-seat venue required LaLiga to grant Barca a special exemption from competition rules requiring first-division clubs to have a minimum capacity of 15,000 seats.

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