Barcelona and Juventus were set to face each other in a pre-season friendly at the Levi’s Stadium in California on Saturday, but the game was cancelled hours before kick-off due to a viral gastroenteritis outbreak among the Barça squad.
The Catalan club confirmed the news on their official website, stating that “a significant part” of their players had been affected by the stomach bug and had sought medical help. They also apologized to the fans and sponsors for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.
The game was part of the International Champions Cup, a series of exhibition matches involving some of the top European clubs. Barcelona and Juventus had both brought several new signings to the US tour, including Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde for Barça, and Manuel Locatelli, Arkadiusz Milik and Timothy Weah for Juve.
Both teams will continue their pre-season preparations with other fixtures in North America. Barcelona will play against Arsenal, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Tottenham, while Juventus will face AC Milan and Real Madrid.
