Barca Friendly Cancelled
FC Barcelona Cancels Preston Friendly, Cuts England Tour Short Over Player Availability
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid star and England international, attended Barcelona's Birmingham City friendly in the stands, highlighting the high-profile attention around Barca's pre-season fixtures.
2
Karim Adeyemi made his Barcelona debut in the Birmingham clash, with coach Hansi Flick saying: 'There are still things that aren't quite right. He has much more potential to showcase his strengths, but it's only the first week, and that's normal,' and praising Hamza Abdelkarim for scoring twice.
3
Ajax will play Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 10 as part of their final pre-season preparations at Camp Nou.
4
The August 8 preseason triangular in Udine will feature 45-minute matches, with the games held at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine as Barca continues to fine-tune tactics ahead of the new season.
Barcelona's planned behind-closed-doors friendly with Preston North End has been cancelled after the English club could not field enough first-team players for the match, according to Mirror and The Sun. Barcelona declined Preston's offer to send out an under-21 side and turned the session into a training run instead, ending their England pre-season tour earlier than expected.
The cancellation came just one day before the match was due to take place at St George's Park, AOL reported. It wraps up a short England trip that included a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City — and leaves Barcelona heading back to Spain sooner than planned.
Preston's Injury Crisis Forces Last-Minute Cancellation
Preston could not put together a full senior squad for the friendly, Sporf reported. The club offered to field an under-21 team as a replacement. Barcelona said no. Rather than face a youth side, the Spanish club used the scheduled match time as a training session instead.
Preston's decision to protect their senior players came with competitive games on the horizon. The English club has cup ties looming next week, and keeping fit first-team players healthy clearly took priority over hosting one of world football's biggest clubs, Footmundo reported.
Adeyemi Debuts and Bellingham Watches in Birmingham
Before the Preston cancellation, Barcelona's England tour produced real headlines. Karim Adeyemi made his Barcelona debut in the 2-2 draw with Birmingham City. Coach Hansi Flick kept expectations measured, saying: 'There are still things that aren't quite right. He has much more potential to showcase his strengths, but it's only the first week, and that's normal.'
Flick also praised Hamza Abdelkarim, who scored twice in the Birmingham match. Perhaps the most eye-catching detail from the game: Real Madrid star and England international Jude Bellingham watched from the stands, a sign of the high-profile attention Barcelona's pre-season is drawing, according to Mirror.
Barcelona's Next Stops: Udine, Camp Nou, and La Liga
Despite the early tour exit, Barcelona's pre-season calendar stays busy. On August 8, they play in a triangular tournament in Udine against Udinese and Nottingham Forest. The matches will be 45 minutes each, held at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, according to Footmundo.
Two days later, on August 10, Ajax visit Camp Nou for the Joan Gamper Trophy — Barcelona's traditional home pre-season showcase. After that, the real business begins. Barcelona open their La Liga campaign against Elche later in August, giving Flick a tight window to bed in new signings and sharpen tactics.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
11
Articles
16
Reach
27
A
AnonymousAuthor