Match Info

Competition: Club Friendly

Date: July 31, 2026

Kick-off: 19:45 UK

Venue: St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park

Birmingham City Preview

Birmingham City welcome one of world football's biggest clubs for a landmark pre-season occasion. The Blues have enjoyed a perfect start to their summer preparations, winning all four of their friendly matches and entering this contest with confidence. Although they face a huge step up in quality, Birmingham will hope home support and strong defensive organisation can make life difficult for the Spanish champions.

Barcelona Preview

Barcelona continue their pre-season tour under Hansi Flick with another high-profile fixture following an impressive opening victory over CE Europa. The Catalan giants have strengthened their squad this summer with the arrivals of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, while Robert Lewandowski departed following the expiration of his contract. Adeyemi is expected to make his unofficial debut, adding even more excitement to an already star-studded lineup.

Despite likely rotating throughout the match, Barcelona still boast world-class quality across the pitch, with Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi and Raphinha expected to feature as Flick continues refining his tactical setup ahead of the La Liga season.

Probable Lineups

Birmingham City (4-2-3-1)

Allsop; Laird, Klarer, Bielik, Buchanan; Paik, Iwata; Anderson, Stansfield, Dembele; May

Barcelona (4-3-3)

Joan Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; Pedri, De Jong, Gavi; Lamine Yamal, Adeyemi, Raphinha

We Say

Birmingham have built confidence through an excellent pre-season, but Barcelona represent a completely different level of opposition. Flick's side possess superior technical quality and attacking depth, and even with heavy squad rotation, the visitors should have enough firepower to maintain their winning momentum.