Friendly called off at the last minute
Barcelona's pre-season friendly against Prest North End has been called off just one day before it was meant to take place. The La Liga giants were scheduled to face the Championship side in a behind-closed-doors friendly at St. George's Park.
Hansi Flick's side are currently in the United Kingdom preparing for the new season, and played Birmingham City last week, losing the match on penalties. The hope of being able to get another intense runout in for Karim Adeyemi and co, while much of the squad is yet to return from their break following the World Cup, failed to come to fruition, however.
Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo reports that Preston were unwilling to risk more senior stars for the match and instead proposed a game with their under-21 squad, being unable to fill the places for a full senior squad. The suggestion was declined by Barca, who have decided to hold a normal training session in its place.
Preston take on Huddersfield Town in the League Cup in the coming days and were not willing to risk further injuries as a result. Barcelona will soon return to Spain, earlier than planned, to continue their preparations. They will take on British opposition, with two further pre-season matches lined up against Udinese and Nottingham Forest next weekend.
Barcelona's revised pre-season plans
Flick's side will travel to Italy to play in the three-team tournament, with three 45-minute matches taking place at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine. Following that, they will take on Egyptian outfit Al Ahly in the prestigious Joan Gamper Trophy at Camp Nou, serving as the final preparation before the campaign begins.
By contrast, Preston had taken on Stockport County over the weekend before their season kicks off. Off the pitch, the Lancashire club have been left reeling following alleged attempts by Wrexham to secure captain Ben Whiteman. A transfer worth around £2million has been suggested, with boss Paul Heckingbottom delivering a stark verdict on the situation.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Heckingbottom said:
Ben told me, told Peter (Ridsdale, CEO) he's played his last game for the club. He's trying to force a move, which is an issue for me, for the players.
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We've been in regular conversations in the last few days, and Ben knew there was a line I didn't want him to cross,
