European clubs are preparing for the new soccer season, with friendly matches scheduled worldwide. Arsenal and Manchester United are also on the pre-season tour to the United States, with French champions PSG off to Japan very soon. Usually, some European giants face off against each other in the pre-season, similar to what was scheduled between Juventus and Barcelona.
Massimiliano Allegri and Xavi Hernandez’s side had contrasting campaigns in the 2022/23 season. The former’s side had a largely underwhelming season with their main man Paul Pogba injured for a majority of the season, finishing 7th in the league. Moreover, the club also faced a 10-point deduction by Serie-A. Barcelona, on the other hand, won the Spanish La Liga, with the least goals conceded in the league.
Stomach bug hits Barcelona squad forcing cancellation of pre-season Juventus clash
The Levi’s stadium in California was about to host a game between FC Barcelona and Juventus on July 22, 2023. However, hours before the match FC Barcelona released a statement that due to health reasons, the friendly had to be canceled between the clubs. The cancellation coming at such short notice saddened the fans around the world.
In an official club statement, it was quoted “FC Barcelona hereby informs that the game against Juventus FC, scheduled for today, July 22 at 7:30 PM at Levi’s Stadium, as part of the Soccer Champions Tour, has been canceled.” Additionally, they also cited the reason in the same statement, “A significant part of the Blaugrana squad has viral gastroenteritis.”
The Barcelona squad had landed in the US during the midweek and were training regularly to prepare for the game against Juventus. The last time both the clubs faced each other was in the 2021/21 season when they were drawn in the same group in the UEFA Champions League. Both the teams won their home games, with Juventus beating Barcelona 3-0 in Turin.
How many players in the Barcelona squad were affected?
While it is unfortunate that Barcelona had to cancel the match, it remains to be seen exactly how many players were affected by the stomach bug throughout the squad. According to reports, French defender Jules Kounde was the first member of the squad who got affected by the virus. Barcelona claimed a “significant part” of the squad was affected by the viral.
A report from Spanish outlet Cadena SER claimed that a total of 15 players and a few members of the coaching staff had caught the stomach bug. New signing Oriol Romeu was one of the names on the list alongside Alejandro Balde and Eric Garcia. The identity of the other players has not been revealed for privacy purposes.
👤 🦠 Oriol Romeu, Koundé o Balde son algunos de los afectados por la gastroenteritis vírica que cancela el primer amistoso del Barça
❌ El club se enfrentaba esta madrugada a la Juventus de Turín en Santa Clarahttps://t.co/2e5sSIAo8h
— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) July 22, 2023
Club President Joan Laporta quoted, “It’s a tough blow. I hope the players recover soon.” Barcelona are scheduled to play Arsenal next on their tour, with the game taking place on Wednesday.
