Barcelona set to replace cancelled Morocco friendly with Basel match

Barcelona are in advanced negotiations to play Swiss club Basel on Sunday, 16 August, as they look to replace a pre-season fixture cancelled in Morocco.

The proposed friendly would be played at Basel’s stadium and is intended to ensure Barcelona retain their planned number of warm-up matches before the new La Liga season begins.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, discussions between the two clubs have reached an advanced stage. Barcelona are optimistic that the agreement can be formally completed in the coming hours, allowing Hansi Flick’s side to continue their preparations as scheduled.

The Basel fixture would take the place of a match Barcelona had planned to play against an unnamed opponent in Tangier on 15 August. The Catalan club cancelled that game on Thursday after the circumstances surrounding recent events in Ceuta created uncertainty over whether it was appropriate to proceed.

In an official statement, Barcelona said that “the state of uncertainty and current circumstances” meant staging the match was not suitable. The comment referred to developments after large numbers of migrants arrived in the Spanish-administered city.

Barcelona subsequently began looking for an alternative, working with Flick and his coaching staff to preserve the structure of their pre-season programme. The club’s objective is to complete as many fixtures as initially planned and reach the start of the campaign in the best possible condition.

The team have already won two friendly matches during their preparations. Their next scheduled involvement comes on Saturday, when they will take part in a three-team event in Udine, Italy, alongside Nottingham Forest and Udinese.

Barcelona are also due to face Egyptian club Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on 19 August. The potential meeting with Basel would therefore add another European fixture to a busy build-up before competitive action begins.

Flick is using the pre-season programme to continue shaping his squad and establish the team’s readiness for the new campaign. With the Tangier match no longer taking place, the proposed Basel game would provide Barcelona with another opportunity to test the players and maintain match fitness before the season starts.

No final agreement had been announced at the time of the report, but the negotiations were described as very close to completion, with Barcelona hopeful of confirming the fixture shortly.