Barcelona to play two friendlies in England as pre-season plans take shape | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are expected to finalise their pre-season schedule in the coming days. The team will travel to England for a training camp at St George’s Park, the English Football Association’s national football centre in Burton upon Trent, north of Birmingham.

Without the players who remain involved in international duty at the World Cup, Hansi Flick will oversee preparations there from 27 July until 3 or 4 August, using the camp as the setting for the club’s first summer friendlies.

Two friendlies in England

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are expected to play two friendly matches on their tour of England in July.

The only confirmed fixture open to the public is scheduled for Friday, 31 July, when Barcelona will face Birmingham City at St Andrew’s Stadium.

Barça will face Chris Davies’ Birmingham City. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Birmingham, managed by Chris Davies, missed out on promotion to the Premier League after finishing 10th in the EFL Championship.

In addition to that, the La Liga champions will play a closed-door match against either Watford or Stoke City, the latter being the former club of Barça football co-ordinator Bojan Krkic. Both teams finished 16th and 17th respectively in the Championship.

Morocco and Argentina still under consideration

Several other potential friendlies remain under discussion. A proposed match against Liverpool in Nairobi, Kenya, has been put on hold due to concerns surrounding the spread of an Ebola outbreak in neighbouring countries.

However, Barcelona are still considering a fixture in Morocco against a local side, while talks remain open regarding a high-profile friendly against River Plate at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Barça could play a friendly against Julian Alvarez’s former club, River Plate. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

That match would attract even greater attention if Julian Alvarez, a former River Plate player, were to complete a move to Barcelona before then.

Meanwhile, the Joan Gamper Trophy is now expected to be staged on the weekend of 15–16 August. The adjustment comes after La Liga informed Barcelona that the club’s league season will begin one week later than originally planned.

Ajax had been considered as a possible opponent for the traditional curtain-raiser, but the Dutch club are no longer an option. Barça are therefore continuing their search for a suitable opponent while finalising what promises to be a busy pre-season schedule.