Barcelona are pressing on with their preparations as the new La Liga season looms into view. Hansi Flick’s coaching staff are working to complete the pre-season programme through a series of friendlies before the campaign begins.
Two friendlies have already been settled during the preparation period, and now the Catalan club have edged closer to agreeing another fixture against Switzerland’s Basel. The move keeps their programme on track after the cancellation of a match that had been scheduled in the Moroccan city of Tangier.
Advanced negotiations with Basel
According to Spain’s “Marca“, Barcelona are holding advanced talks with Basel over a friendly on Sunday 16 August at the Swiss club’s stadium.
Those negotiations have reached a very advanced stage. Barcelona are optimistic they can complete the agreement officially in the coming hours, allowing the team to play the match as part of their preparations for the new season.
The Basel fixture is expected to replace the friendly Barcelona had intended to play against one of their rivals in Tangier on 15 August.
Yesterday, on Thursday, the Catalan club announced the cancellation of that fixture in light of the complex circumstances that followed the events in the city of Ceuta.
Barcelona said in an official statement that “the uncertainty and current circumstances” made playing the match unsuitable, in reference to the developments that followed the arrival of large numbers of migrants into the Spanish-administered city.
Working in coordination with Flick’s coaching staff, the club moved quickly to find an alternative. The aim was clear: keep the number of friendlies intact and reach the best possible level of readiness.
Barcelona had already begun mapping out their preparatory programme, playing on Saturday in a three-team tournament in the Italian city of Udine alongside Nottingham Forest and Udinese.
Next up, the team are preparing for the Joan Gamper Cup match against Egypt’s Al Ahly on 19 August.