Barcelona name Hamza Abdelkarim to lead attack against Birmingham City

Barcelona will start Hamza Abdelkarim in attack against Birmingham City in their second pre-season friendly, while new signing Karim Adeyemi makes his first appearance in the starting XI since joining the Catalan club from Borussia Dortmund.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 21:45 Cairo time and forms part of the opening stage of Barcelona’s training camp in England as they prepare for the new season.

Head coach Hansi Flick has confirmed the Barcelona team for the friendly, with Abdelkarim selected as the central attacking figure and Adeyemi included for the first time since completing his move to the club.

Adeyemi’s inclusion is the main change of interest around the line-up. The former Borussia Dortmund player has been named from the start as Barcelona continue their preparations during their English tour.

Barcelona’s starting XI is:

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders: Xavi Espart, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin, Jofre Torrents

Midfielders: Marc Casado, Ibrahima Tonkara, Marc Bernal

Forwards: Shane Kluivert, Hamza Abdelkarim, Karim Adeyemi

The fixture is Barcelona’s second friendly of their pre-season schedule. Their first match ended in a convincing 4-1 victory against Europa, with that game played behind closed doors.

Flick’s side will now face Birmingham City as part of their work towards the new campaign, with the match also marking the beginning of Barcelona’s preparations at their England camp.

Abdelkarim’s place at the head of the attack gives him a prominent role in the latest test, while Adeyemi’s start provides the new signing with his first opportunity to feature from the beginning of a match for Barcelona.

The line-up also includes Szczesny in goal, with Espart, Christensen, Martin and Torrents forming the defensive unit. Casado, Tonkara and Bernal will operate in midfield, while Kluivert joins Abdelkarim and Adeyemi in the forward line.

The match details and team announcement were published on Friday, 31 July 2026, at 20:44.