Barcelona Pre-Season Plans Disrupted as Friendly Against Preston North End Is Cancelled
Barcelona’s preparations for the new season have suffered an unexpected setback after their planned pre-season friendly against Preston North End was called off due to squad availability problems affecting the Championship side.
Hansi Flick’s team were scheduled to face the Lilywhites in a behind-closed-doors match at St George’s Park on Monday morning, but the fixture was abandoned just 24 hours before kick-off after Preston informed Barcelona they could not field a full-strength squad.
Preston Injury Crisis Forces Cancellation
Barcelona’s England training camp has been disrupted following the cancellation of the fixture, which was supposed to provide another opportunity for Flick to prepare his players ahead of the 2026–27 campaign.
According to reports, Preston suffered a number of injuries following their recent friendly defeat against Stockport County, leaving their squad severely limited.
The Championship club reportedly considered sending out an under-21 side to fulfil the fixture, but Barcelona were not interested in facing a developmental team.
Instead, Flick preferred his players to test themselves against experienced senior opposition as he continues to develop his tactical approach and build match sharpness before the new season begins.
As a result, Barcelona decided to cancel the match and replace it with an additional training session.
Flick Adjusts Final Preparations
The cancelled fixture has forced Barcelona’s coaching staff to reconsider their schedule in England. The squad had been based at the English Football Association’s national training centre, but without the Preston match, the team could now return to Spain earlier than initially planned.
The decision allows Flick and his staff to focus on training sessions as they continue refining their ideas ahead of the competitive campaign.
Birmingham City Friendly Raises Concerns
The cancellation comes shortly after Barcelona endured a challenging friendly against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.
The match ended 2-2 after 90 minutes before Birmingham claimed victory in a penalty shootout. Flick used the game to hand a debut to Karim Adeyemi, but the German coach admitted there were areas where his side needed improvement.
Despite the defeat, Flick remained positive about his team’s performance, praising the effort of his young squad while acknowledging mistakes in possession and build-up play.
“Overall, I’m happy,” Flick said, while admitting Barcelona sometimes lacked confidence when playing between the lines and made unnecessary errors during their build-up.
With their pre-season schedule now altered, Barcelona will look to make the most of their remaining preparations as Flick continues shaping his squad ahead of another demanding season.
