Barcelona Pre-Season Plans Disrupted

La Liga giants Barcelona have suffered a setback in their pre-season preparations after their scheduled friendly match against Preston North End was cancelled at the last minute.

Hansi Flick's squad had just completed their first summer match in front of a crowd on Friday, traveling to England for a pre-season training camp. The Blaugrana fell to a penalty shootout defeat against Birmingham City in that outing.

Match Called Off Due to Squad Issues

The Monday fixture against Preston North End, Birmingham City's Championship rivals, was set to be Barcelona's next pre-season test. However, on the eve of the clash, Flick and his coaching staff were informed that the match would not proceed as planned.

According to a report from Mundo Deportivo: 'The match has been cancelled because the Blaugrana's opponents have several players unavailable and were set to field a large squad of Under-21 players.'

Training Session Instead

In light of the cancellation, Barcelona will now hold a previously unplanned training session on Monday to continue their pre-season preparations for the new campaign.

The disruption comes as Flick looks to build match fitness and cohesion among his squad ahead of the upcoming La Liga season.