Flick urges Barcelona to slot mid‑August friendly before La Liga

Under the bright lights of the empty Camp Nou, Hansi Flick watches his new FC Barcelona squad train and is already urging the club to squeeze an extra pre‑season friendly into the calendar before La Liga begins. The German coach is targeting a match on August 15 to give the full squad its first collective session after the World Cup. The request comes as the Catalans shape a packed early‑season programme, with several fixtures already confirmed across July and August. Their agenda reflects a desire to build match fitness quickly after the summer break. A Mundo Deportivo report says Flick is specifically aiming for a mid‑August encounter, ideally on the 15th, to bridge the gap between existing fixtures and the league opener. The proposed date sits neatly between the Udine tournament and the start of La Liga. Barcelona are set to confirm participation in a triangular tournament in Udine on August 8, where they will face Udinese and Nottingham Forest. Those games will provide early‑season match practice ahead of the domestic campaign. The club will host the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19 at the Spotify Camp Nou, with Egyptian champions Al Ahly as visitors. The trophy match traditionally caps Barcelona’s summer preparations.

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Flick believes the extra August 15 friendly would be valuable as the first opportunity to work with his full squad after the World Cup and would serve as a final test one week before Barcelona start their La Liga campaign away to Elche on August 23. Barcelona are evaluating proposals for the additional match, including venues in Rabat, Morocco, and Nairobi, Kenya, with the Kenyan option gaining momentum following health improvements in neighboring countries. These locations would offer a neutral setting for the desired mid‑August test. Liverpool were originally mooted as the opponent for the August 15 fixture, but they have altered their plans and will instead face Como at Anfield on August 16, leaving Barcelona free to arrange a different opponent for the desired date. The club’s schedule already features a closed‑doors friendly against CE Europa on July 24 at the Ciutat Esportiva, and during a training camp in England they will meet Birmingham City on July 31 and Preston North End on August 3. If the August 15 match is confirmed, it will complete a demanding pre‑season programme that ends with the Gamper Trophy on August 19. The intensive build‑up aims to have the squad fully prepared for the competitive season.