Preparations continue for Liga debut

The first team were back at work on a scorching hot Friday morning on the Tito Vilanova field at the Ciutat Esportiva as they continue preparations for the first Liga fixture next Sunday (8.00pm CEST) at the Camp Nou against Real Sociedad.

The big news was the presence of Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who joined the group as part of his return to fitness. Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ansu Fati also appeared on the pitch as they continue their own recovery programmes.

The team will be back on the training ground on Saturday morning at 9.15am CEST. This will be followed at around 12.00pm CEST by a remote press conference from the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in which coach Ronald Koeman will be fielding questions about the first competitive game of the 2021/22 season.

The first 15 minutes of the workout and the full conference with an English translation can be viewed live on Barça TV+.