2021/22 preseason starts on Saturday

The FC Barcelona players are back at the Ciutat Esportiva this weekend. Saturday brings the first medicals, including PCR and serological tests, while on Sunday there were will be a series of medical and physical checks.

Ter Stegen, Dest, Piqué, Pjanić, Dembélé, Riqui Puig, Neto, Coutinho, Sergi Roberto, Ansu Fati and Umtiti are the players involved in this first stage, while ten more from Barça B will be helping to make up the numbers and gaining important first team experience: Monchu, Ilias, Gavi, Comas, Ramos Mingo, Nico, Arnau Tenas, Álex Collado, Yusuf Demir and Iñaki Peña.

Training starts on Monday

Actual training doesn’t start until Monday, while Ter Stegen, Dembélé, Coutinho and Ansu Fati will be joining the sessions whenever their injury recovery programmes allow.

There are morning sessions every day apart from Thursday and Sunday in the first week.

The players that have been at the European Championships or Copa America will be joining the squad later.

Friendlies at the Johan Cruyff

Ronald Koeman and his team will get their first real playing practice nine days after training begins on Wednesday 21 July, when they face Gimnàstic Tarragona in a friendly at the Estadi Johan Cruyff at 7.00pm CEST. The following Saturday at the same time and place they have a game with Girona.

Curiously, these are the same sides as those against which they began the 2020/21 season.

Both games are being screened worldwide on Barça TV+, and on Barça TV via DTT in Catalonia and subscriber channels elsewhere in Spain.