Incredible: Barcelona friendly canceled as opponent lacks enough players

A highly anticipated pre-season friendly between FC Barcelona and Preston North End, scheduled for Sunday, was abruptly canceled due to an unusual reason: Preston North End did not have enough first-team players available. The English Championship club informed Barcelona that they could not field a sufficient squad for the match, which was intended to be played behind closed doors. Reports from Spanish media indicate that Preston cited the recovery of injured players as the primary cause for their depleted roster, with the official league season set to begin on August 8th against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup. Preston then suggested supplementing their lineup with under-21 players. However, FC Barcelona declined this proposal, stating that it would not meet their expected sporting standards. Consequently, the match was called off. Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, will now use the time for regular training sessions. The team will return to Catalonia earlier than planned to continue their preparations. Their upcoming schedule includes participation in the mini-triangular Friuli-Venezia Giulia Cup, featuring matches against Udinese and Nottingham Forest on August 8th, with each game lasting 45 minutes. Following this, Barcelona will host the Egyptian club Al Ahly for the "Joan Gamper" trophy match before commencing their Spanish league campaign against Elche, featuring Lucas Cepeda, on August 23rd.