Forest Green's preseason performance in the triangular cup has raised concerns ahead of their upcoming Premier League campaign. The team lost to Udinese and Barcelona in the cup, with Udinese beating Spanish champions Barcelona and Premier League side Forest Green on Saturday to win the inaugural Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup. Vakoun Issouf Bayo struck a last-minute winner as the Italian team won 1-0 against Barça after both sides had earlier beaten Forest by the same scoreline.
What happened?
The triangular tournament was played in an irregular format of three 45-minute matches back-to-back at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy. The round-robin kicked off with hosts Udinese beating Forest 1-0 in a cagey affair. Defender Oumar Solet scored the only goal of the game in the 28th minute, rising highest from a corner to send a powerful header past Matz Sels.
Why it matters for Forest Green
The team still has games to come against Bayer Leverkusen and Brest before their Premier League campaign gets underway against Leeds United later this month. Next fixture: vs Wealdstone (away, 2027-02-16) (20th in the table).
What comes next?
Udinese turn their attention to competitive football next weekend when they take on Padova in the Coppa Italia, but Barça and Forest still have more friendlies to come. Barça play Basel in Switzerland next weekend and then host Egyptian side Al Ahly at Spotify Camp Nou in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Aug. 19.
