Preston North End will take on European giants Barcelona, this summer at St. George’s Park.
No, this isn’t FIFA career mode nor the Champions League final, but a friendly match as Barca embark on a pre-season tour of England.
Taking on Birmingham City too, the Catalan club will play behind closed doors on August 3, making this spectacle unavailable to the supporters.
Whilst that may come as disappointment to the fans, it’s understandable given the current state of the Deepdale pitch.
With the playing surface in PR1 currently being sewn, the pitch is nowhere near in a condition to be played on and won’t be until the second week of the league season.
North End’s Carabao Cup first round tie has also been moved to Everton’s Goodison Park, making it the final men’s professional game at the stadium.
People might expect Barcelona to have their stars such Pedri, Dani Olmo, and Lamine Yamal line up against Ben Whiteman, Ali McCann, and Alfie Devine, however due to the World Cup, they’re most likely going to be excluded from the match to allow them rest before the season start.
Hansi Flick will be using this as an opportunity to assess his squad ahead of long and gruelling season, with aims to win the treble on the cards.
As for Preston, this will be an excellent test and a true evaluation of where the squad is at capability wise to see if they can push for the play-offs this season.
Paul Heckingbottom adds the five-time European champions to the pre-season list and joins non-league Bamber Bridge and League One’s Cambridge United.
The annual friendly with Chorley has been postponed due to England’s progression in the FIFA World Cup following their 2-1 win over Norway.
News of a rescheduled match should soon follow, as the non-league outfit relish these matches to bring in vital income for the club.
Photo of Jack Tucker
Jack Tucker
Jack is a Sports Journalism graduate from University of Lancashire (formerly University of Central Lancashire) and is a prominent figure in the Preston North End community; as the host of the #1 PNE fan-owned podcast 'The Butter Pie Podcast', appearing multiple times on BBC Radio Derby and BBC Radio Coventry…