Barcelona trim first-team group as three young players drop out, while Hamza Abdelkarim stays

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has reduced his first-team squad for the rest of pre-season, with young players Oscar Gistau, Ibrahim Diarra and Alex Gonzalez excluded from the group and set to continue their preparations with the reserve side.

The decision was reported by Mundo Deportivo as Barcelona prepare for the opening of the new campaign. Egypt international Hamza Abdelkarim, however, remains with Flick’s first-team squad and will continue training with the senior players.

Abdelkarim has made a strong impression during Barcelona’s pre-season programme. He featured in both of the club’s friendly matches against Europa and Birmingham City, scoring twice in the most recent game against Birmingham.

The Egyptian forward’s continued involvement means he remains part of the first-team preparations as Barcelona finalise their plans for the season, which begins in the coming days.

Barcelona will next take part in a friendly tournament in Udine, Italy, alongside Nottingham Forest and Udinese. The Catalan club are due to play Nottingham Forest on Saturday at 22:00 Cairo time before facing Udinese later the same night at 23:00.

The matches form part of Barcelona’s preparations ahead of their traditional final pre-season fixture, the Joan Gamper Trophy. The tournament is held in honour of Joan Gamper, the founder of the Catalan club, and takes place before the start of each new season.

Barcelona will face Egyptian club Al Ahly in this year’s Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday, 19 August. The match will be played at Camp Nou, Barcelona’s home ground.

It will be the first time the competition has featured an Arab and African team, according to the report.

Barcelona begin their La Liga title defence against Elche on 23 August at the Manuel Martinez Valero. They will be attempting to retain the league title after winning it in each of the past two seasons following strong competition from Real Madrid.

Flick’s decision to retain Abdelkarim in the senior group comes after the 2026 pre-season performances increased his involvement with the first team. Meanwhile, Gistau, Diarra and Gonzalez will continue their build-up with Barcelona’s reserve team as the club narrows its senior squad before the competitive campaign begins.