Spanish soccer giants Barcelona have launched a smart model in an attempt to better manage the marketing of ticket sales at the club’s iconic Nou Camp stadium.

The update to the Seient Lliure system will calculate the number of tickets available for non-season-ticket holders to purchase for any given matchday, with the number based on statistics collated from the last five years of the La Liga side’s home games. The technology will also take into account the opposition team, the scheduling of the match and the likely weather conditions.

As well as regularly available seats not held by a season-ticket holder, Barcelona also offer members the chance to declare whether or not they will be using their tickets for each game in order to free up a seat if a season-ticket holder is unable to attend.

The model will be available during the last six home league games of the 2018/19 season, starting in the second weekend of March.

The new system will see fans given the chance to acquire tickets for upcoming matches well before the matchday, as opposed to the tight deadlines currently in place, which often opens up spare tickets 72 hours before games.

With the new platform, however, the club will have more time to manage the ticketing service, allowing the reigning domestic champions to increase attendances at games where spectator numbers have previously been hampered by a lack of advance ticket availability.

In addition, the service will offer seats in a greater number of locations across the 99,000-seater arena.

From March, seat purchases will be made by selecting the area of the stadium in which the buyer wishes to sit. Although no guarantees can be made over the specific seat, the system does provide a guarantee of ticket availability in each part of the ground.

The new model follows changes to the club's ticket resale policy made in preseason that rewarded season ticket holders for returning tickets for matches they would be unable to attend with a financial bonus.