Barcelona Call Off Preston Friendly

Barcelona have canceled their scheduled closed-doors friendly against Preston North End, which was set to take place on Monday during the final day of their training camp in England.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the English Championship side would only be able to field an under-21 squad due to several injuries in their first team. Hansi Flick's coaching staff made the decision that the match would not provide sufficient competitive challenge to properly test his squad.

Training Session Replaces Match

Instead of the friendly match, the Blaugrana will conduct a normal training session on Monday afternoon. This change also affects the club's travel arrangements.

The original plan had the friendly ending in the evening, with the squad traveling back to Catalonia late on Monday and arriving in the early hours of Tuesday. With the cancellation, Barcelona will return home as soon as the training session concludes in the afternoon, allowing the team to arrive back in Catalonia on Monday night.

Next Steps: Italy Tournament

The squad is scheduled to resume training at their usual base in the Catalan capital on Wednesday. From there, Barcelona will begin preparations for the weekend's three-way tournament in Italy, where they will face Udinese and Nottingham Forest.

The decision to cancel the friendly underscores Flick's commitment to ensuring his players face adequate competition during the preseason period as they prepare for the upcoming campaign.