Barcelona continue their build-up to the 2026-27 season with a pre-season friendly against Birmingham City.
The Catalan giants made a winning start to pre-season with a convincing 4-1 victory over CE Europa and will now face a tougher challenge against a Birmingham side that has won all four of its summer friendlies. Chris Davies’ men have defeated Huddersfield Town, Solihull Moors, Burton Albion and Crewe Alexandra, giving them plenty of confidence ahead of this high-profile encounter.
Hansi Flick’s side have opted against a long-haul pre-season tour following the 2026 World Cup, instead holding a training camp in England. New arrivals Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon have strengthened the squad, although several Spanish internationals remain on extended leave after their World Cup triumph.
Birmingham will view the clash as ideal preparation before their Championship campaign begins, while Barcelona continue to fine-tune their squad ahead of another La Liga title defence.
TEAM NEWS
Birmingham could hand debut minutes to Luis Vazquez, while Jay Stansfield is expected to spearhead the attack.
Barcelona are without several World Cup winners, including Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi and Dani Olmo. Adeyemi is in line for his first appearance, while Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez are available.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Birmingham City starting lineup:
Beadle; Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Fry, Cochrane; Vicente, Solis, Iwata, Fujimoto, Roberts; Stansfield.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Fort, Araujo, Martin, Balde; Christensen, Casado, Bernal; Adeyemi, Shane Kluivert, Roony.
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | beINSPORTS |
| Live Stream | Barca play |
| Kick-off Time | 19:45 (WAT) |
MATCH PREDICTION
Softfootball predicts Birmingham City 1-3 Barcelona. Barcelona possess greater quality despite several absentees, but Birmingham’s excellent pre-season form should make this an entertaining contest.
