Barcelona arrive in Birmingham for a pre-season friendly with eight World Cup winners absent, Frenkie de Jong included despite a knee issue, and Karim Adeyemi in line for a debut. It is a heavily rotated squad, but not a throwaway one. Barcelona still carry the look of a side expected to set a high standard, even in July.

Barcelona's squad news

The missing names are a sizeable list: Ferran Torres, Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Lamine Yamal are all on a post-World Cup break after helping Spain to triumph in the tournament. That leaves a very different feel to the trip, especially with de Jong still travelling.

Sports Mole described de Jong as a surprise inclusion given that he is dealing with a knee injury, and that is the detail that stands out most from the squad news. Barcelona are not treating this as a full-strength exercise, but they have not stripped the trip down to a youth fixture either. Adeyemi's inclusion gives the evening an extra angle, too, with a first appearance for the club possible.

Barcelona's recent level helps explain why even a summer XI still draws attention. They finished first in La Liga in 2025 with 94 points and scored 95 league goals. That is the standard this group is still being measured against.

Birmingham's strong summer run

Birmingham have won all four of their pre-season games, beating Huddersfield Town, Solihull Moors, Burton Albion and Crewe Alexandra. That run gives the friendly a bit more edge than the average midsummer test. A home side with four wins behind them will not treat this like a sightseeing trip for Barcelona.

The backdrop is simple enough. Barcelona are short of several senior names, Birmingham have already built momentum, and the first real selection question is how much quality Barcelona can still put on the pitch. The answer should be enough to make this a useful workout, even without a full cast.

The main item to watch is whether de Jong comes through the match cleanly and whether Adeyemi gets a debut. Those two points, more than the result itself, are what will shape the after-match read on Barcelona's trip to the Midlands.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →