Barcelona’s triangular preseason tournament against Udinese and Nottingham Forest, explained

Barcelona travel to Italy on Saturday, August 8 to play the inaugural Friuli Venezia Giulia triangular tournament at Bluenergy Stadium, home of Udinese as Barça will face the Serie A side as well as Premier League opposition in the form of Nottingham Forest.

It’s a good test for Hansi Flick’s side which will once again feature several youngsters from La Masia as well as some first team reserves, but the triangular tournament format might not be known to younger fans who may have some doubts about how it works.

So here’s all you need to know about Barça’s next preseason game(s).

Triangular tournaments used to be a fixture of preseason football in the 1990’s and 2000’s, and they were especially popular in Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus played the annual “TIM Trophy” 16 straight times from 2001 to 2016, and Barcelona themselves have taken part in a dozen of these in their history.

The fast-paced nature of the games and the excitement of non-important penalty shootouts made triangular tournaments pretty popular in the past, but they quickly disappeared from the calendar in the last decade once big clubs realized they could play friendlies outside of Europe in places like Asia and North America to expand their reach and earn a lot more money.

Triangular tournaments feature three teams playing in a round-robin format: all three sides face each other and each team plays twice, but the crucial part is each “game” is actually a 45-minute half, so all three teams end up playing the equivalent of a normal 90-minute match over the course of the tournament, which usually lasts a little over three hours.

The tournament has a points system that works like this: a regular win after 45 minutes is worth three points for the winner and zero points for the loser, and a draw leads to penalties. The winner of the shootout gets two points (one for the draw and one for the shootout win), while the loser of the shootout gets one point. The team with the most points after all three games are completed will be crowned the champion.

On Saturday, the action will begin with hosts Udinese taking on Nottingham Forest, who then face Barcelona in the Catalans’ first 45-minute game. The third and final match will be the showdown between the locals and Barça, who will play two 45-minute halves in a row while Udinese get to rest as Barça and Forest face off in the second game of the day.

Yes and no. Each 45-minute half in the tournament is called a “match”, but Barça will play two 45-minute halves as they usually would in a normal friendly. The only difference is they’ll face two teams instead of one, and there’s the added stipulation of a possible penalty shootout if each match ends in a draw.

Hansi Flick has complete freedom to choose whatever starting XI he wants for either match, with no obligation to repeat the same starters to begin both halves.

Barça won’t face any world-class opponents in preseason but will get two solid tests in this tournament: Udinese had a strong season in Serie A and finished 10th with 50 points after flirting with an European spot last year, while Forest made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League and avoided relegation in the Premier League after a tumultuous year filled with coaching changes.

Forest have another new manager to begin this season as Oliver Glasner has taken over after winning the FA Cup and Conference League with Crystal Palace. Glasner was also the manager of Eintracht Frankfurt on the night of their infamous invasion of Camp Nou in 2022 when the German side eliminated Barça on the way to winning the Europa League that season.

The most interesting aspect from a Barça perspective is that both teams play a 3-4-3 formation and defend in a back five, so Flick will get to see his team playing 90 minutes against a defensive structure that is tough to break down.

The tournament beings on Saturday at 8pm CET (Barcelona time) with Udinese vs Forest, and then it’s all Barça: the Catalans are scheduled to face Forest at 9pm CET, although that kickoff could be delayed if the first match goes into a penalty shootout.

Barça’s second and final game against Udinese is scheduled for 10pm CET, though it could also start a little later if Barça vs Forest goes into penalties.

A full list of broadcast options is available Barcelona’s triangular preseason tournament against Udinese, but the tournament will be shown on FC Barcelona’s YouTube channel for ‘Premium Members’. Those who subscribe will get to watch both games on Saturday as well as the Joan Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly on August 19.