​Nine members of Barcelona’s first-team squad, the La Liga holders, are expected to attend the club’s inaugural pre-season training session. This comes as the majority of Hansi Flick’s group remains away on international duty or enjoying their post-World Cup breaks. Among the players still in contention to feature for their nations in North America in the coming weeks are Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Jules Koundé, and Anthony Gordon. For many others, though, preparations for the new campaign will soon begin in Barcelona’s capital.
Barça announced on Friday that their pre-season training will commence next Monday, July 13. In line with this timeline, Mundo Deportivo reports that Flick and his coaching staff have called up a specific roster of first-team players to join the session. The players listed by the publication are Wojciech Szczęsny, Alejandro Balde, Gerard Martín, Andreas Christensen, Marc Casadó, Marc Bernal, Roony Bardghji, Fermín López, and Héctor Fort.
The upcoming training camp signals the start of a critical transition phase as the club gears up for the challenges of another demanding season. With the bulk of the squad scattered across international duties or taking time off after the World Cup, the group that gathers in Catalunya will set the tone for the pre-season program, which will include a series of tactical work, fitness regimens, and friendlies designed to build squad coherence and match readiness.
Wojciech Szczęsny’s inclusion highlights the ongoing competition in goal, while Alejandro Balde continues to push for a starting role at left-back, having already shown considerable promise in prior campaigns. Gerard Martín’s presence points to the club’s strategy of integrating young talents into the first-team environment, a process that has been a hallmark of Barcelona’s approach in recent seasons. Andreas Christensen adds experience and stability in central defense, a partnership that Flick will likely seek to complete with other established or emerging defenders.
Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal represent the growing depth in midfield and defense, respectively, reflecting Barcelona’s broader plan to cultivate a versatile squad capable of adapting to various tactical setups. Roony Bardghji, Fermín López, and Héctor Fort bring a mix of youthful energy and potential late-blooming performance, illustrating the club’s commitment to promoting academy graduates and late summer signings into meaningful roles.
As the club embarks on this pre-season journey, fans will be watching to see how Flick balances the needs of such a diverse group. The international responsibilities of Yamal, Pedri, Koundé, and Gordon continue to loom, with their eventual return anticipated to strengthen the squad’s options for preseason friendlies and the early stages of La Liga competition. The sequence of training sessions, fitness work, tactical drills, and match simulations will be crucial in determining how quickly the team can gel under Flick’s system and how effectively they can translate preparation into consistent performances when the season kicks off. Conor Laird, reporting for GSFN, notes that the first batch of players summoned to the session will play a vital role in shaping the club’s early-season dynamics.