Barcelona Cancels Match Against Preston Due to Lack of Competitiveness

Barcelona's scheduled friendly match against English Championship side Preston was canceled due to a significant lack of competitiveness. Preston announced numerous player absences, resulting in a squad mostly composed of players aged 21 and under. Consequently, Barcelona's coaching staff decided not to proceed with the game. Israeli player Oren Goren, who has already appeared twice under coach Hansi Flick during the training camp, will have to wait for another opportunity to impress.

Following the cancellation, Barcelona is set to travel to Italy for a match against Udinese. Meanwhile, the future of Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado remains uncertain. Although he does not currently plan to leave the club, Casado is aware of his diminished role and the difficulty in securing playing time under Flick. The club ranks him behind Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, and Eric Garcia in the midfield hierarchy. However, Casado hopes that an injury to Frenkie de Jong might provide him with more minutes this season.

Casado, who played 61 minutes in a friendly against Birmingham, has already declined offers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Barcelona is also unwilling to sell him, having previously rejected a bid of around 10 million euros, while his market value is estimated between 30 and 40 million euros.