Jorge Messi, the father of Lionel Messi, passed away at the age of 68 in Argentina. He had lived in Barcelona for two decades, during the period when his son played for the club from the age of 13 to 34. The Spanish club paid a posthumous tribute to Jorge Messi before their friendly match against Nottingham Forest in Udine, Italy, observing a minute of silence before the start of the match, a gesture also shared by the players from Nottingham Forest.
Barcelona played a triangular format match against Nottingham Forest and Udinese. Brazilian player Raphinha made his first appearance in the pre-season after recovering from an injury sustained during the World Cup. He was given a starting role in the match against Nottingham Forest. The triangular format gave Barcelona the opportunity to test their players in different conditions, with their next match being against Udinese in the second half.