Second England preseason opponent for FC Barcelona revealed – report | OneFootball

There are only two days left until the start of preseason training at FC Barcelona, but the head coach Hansi Flick has already returned to the Catalan club to ensure the preparations for the start of the training are in accordance with his wishes. He will have only eight first-team players available for the start of the preseason training, while the rest of the players will gradually rejoin him, depending on when their World Cup journeys and vacations end.

Meanwhile, the club also has its plans for the preseason finalized, which also include a training camp in England and several friendlies. The first of these friendlies is set to be played in Barcelona, against Europa FC, on 24th July, while the team would leave for England on 27th July.

In the Isles, the Blaugranes are set to play two friendlies against Championship sides. The first of these games is going to be played against Birmingham City on 30th July, while the opponents for the second friendly have not yet been confirmed.

In this regard, SPORT cites Que T’hi Jugues to claim that the Catalans’ opponents for this second friendly in England would be Preston North End, the Championship side that will face Barcelona on 3rd August.

By this time, two important players, Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong, are expected to have joined the team, as they were both eliminated from the World Cup in the Round of 16. However, several other players would need more time to rejoin the team, as FIFA mandates at least 21 days of vacations every year for each player.

If this report turns out to be true, five clubs are already confirmed to play against Barcelona this summer, i.e., Europa, Birmingham City, Preston North End, Udinese, and Nottingham Forest. For now, it remains to be seen who they will face in the Joan Gamper Trophy and whether there will be any more friendlies scheduled this summer.