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 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, currently with Barcelona's training camp and having made two appearances under coach Hansi Flick, will have to wait for another opportunity to impress.

Following the cancellation, Barcelona is set to travel to Italy for their upcoming match against Udinese. Meanwhile, the future of midfielder Marc Casado at Camp Nou remains uncertain. Although he does not intend to leave the club, Casado is aware of his diminished standing, currently ranked behind Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, and Eric Garcia in the midfield hierarchy. However, he hopes that an injury to Frenkie de Jong might grant him more playing time this season.

Casado, who played 61 minutes in a friendly against Birmingham, has already declined offers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Barcelona is also not interested in selling him, having previously rejected a €10 million bid despite his market value being estimated between €30-40 million.