Barcelona conclude England camp with intra-squad match with three stars competing after injury return | OneFootball

According to SPORT, FC Barcelona wrapped up their preseason training camp in England with an internal training match, providing Hansi Flick with encouraging news ahead of the team’s return to Spain.

After the scheduled friendly against Preston North End was cancelled because the English club did not have enough first-team players available, Flick instead organised an in-house match at St. George’s Park.

The game was played on Pitch 6, named after England legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

Three 20-minute periods

The session began shortly before midday and consisted of three 20-minute periods, and finished in a 1-1 draw.

The first team lined up with: Wojciech Szczesny, Xavi Espart, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin, Jofre Torrents, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, Orian Goren, Karim Adeyemi, Ebrima Tunkara, and Alex Gonzalez.

Raphinha took part in the training match. (Photo courtesy: FC Barcelona official website)

The second side featured Iker Rodriguez, Hector Fort, Ronald Araujo, Alvaro Cortes, Jordi Pesquer, Guille Fernandez, Brian Farinas, Fermin Lopez, Roony Bardghji, Toni Fernandez, and Raphinha.

Key players return

The biggest positives for Flick were the successful returns of Ronald Araujo, Raphinha, and Fermin Lopez, all of whom completed the match without any issues, having recovered from their respective injury problems.

Araujo and Raphinha are now expected to be available for the triangular tournament in Udine on 8 August.

Fermin had previously targeted a return for the Joan Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly on 19 August, but his progress has been quicker than expected. The midfielder even scored for his team, while Xavi Espart scored the other goal in the game.

If his recovery continues at this pace, he could also feature in Barcelona’s friendly against Ittihad Tanger in Morocco on 15 August.

Still no Balde

Not everyone was ready to return. Alejandro Balde, who began pre-season with back discomfort, continues to recover. Although he has made significant progress, he was not yet cleared to play and instead completed an individual training session.

Frenkie de Jong, who continues recovering from his knee injury, completed individual treatment before joining the group to watch the remainder of the match from the touchline.

Barcelona will travel back to Spain later on Monday, bringing their week-long training camp in England to an end.

The players will receive a short period of rest before resuming preparations for the 2026-27 season.