PREVIEW | Birmingham City v FC Barcelona
The first friendly of the preseason is always an exciting moment. The FC Barcelona squad have been training for the last fortnight, first in Barcelona and for the last few days in England, and now the time has finally come to get some match practice in.
It won't be a full-strength Barça because the players that featured at the World Cup have yet to report back for duty, but there are plenty of things to look forward to in this 8.45pm CEST kick-off (7.45pm local time).
And there should be no problem getting to watch the game because it's being streamed live on both Barça Play and via the club's official YouTube channel.
The venue is Birmingham's regular home ground, the 29,409 capacity St Andrew's (known since 2024 for sponsorship reasons as St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park). It's changed a lot over the years, but essentially it's the same ground that the club has now used for an impressive 120 years.
The opposition
Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, the team that carries the name of the second biggest city in the United Kingdom have spent around half of their existence in the top flight. However, the last time they featured in the Premiership was 2011, meaning they are currently on their longest ever spell outside of the top division.
Traditionally, the 'Blues' have lived in the shadow of their city rivals Aston Villa, and arguably also West Bromwich Albion. They have never won the league and were beaten both times they reached the FA Cup Final. Instead, their biggest honours came thanks to the League Cup, which they won both in 1963 and 2011.
Under American ownership, and much publicity when American football legend Tom Brady acquired a stake in the club, Birmingham are rebuilding, having finished tenth in the Championship last season and aiming to go even higher in 2026-27.
There's plenty to look out for in the current squad, from South Korean Seung-ho Paik, who came through La Masia and played at the last World Cup, to players with previous experience in Spanish football such as Aragon-born Carlos Vicente, formerly of Alavés, John Solís and Patrick Roberts, both former Girona players, and the latest arrival, Argentine Luis Vázquez, who spent the second half of last season at Getafe, scoring three goals.
While Barça have only played a 'practice match' against Europa so far, Birmingham City are much further into their preseason schedule. Having already played and beaten Huddersfield Town, Solihull Moors, Burton Albion, Crewe Alexandra and Northampton Town, this is actually their last game before their competitive calendar starts.
Previous meetings
Barça and Birmingham first crossed paths way back in 1925, when they played two friendlies in the Catalan capital, with Barça winning both.
The first competitive meeting came in the semi-finals of the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which ended 4-4 on aggregate and required a playoff in the Swiss city of Basel, which Barça won thanks to goals from two club legends in Evaristo and Kubala.
In the following edition of the same competition, Birmingham achieved the honour of becoming the first British team to ever reach a European final. Once again the opposition was Barça and after a 0-0 draw in England, the blaugrana lifted the trophy with a 4-1 win at Camp Nou.
The teams have not met since.
Team news
With the World Cup stars still absent, the game provides a perfect chance for Hansi Flick to test some of his up-and-coming players, many of whom are knocking on the door of the first team.
Ebrima Tunkara, Ibrahim Diarra, Shane Kluivert, Brian Fariñas and Orian Goren are just some of the players that will be keen to impress the coach at St Andrews.
Raphinha, who barely featured for Brazil this summer due to injury, reported back to work this week, but is unlikely to play a role so soon. But there is a good chance that we will get to see German signing Karim Adeyemi make his unofficial debut for his new club, while Héctor Fort is back from his loan year at Elche.
It will also be a valuable chance to see how players like Gerard Martín and Marc Bernal, who weren't selected for Spain this summer, are shaping up ready for the new season.
