Barcelona give Hamza Abdelkarim chance to make UEFA Youth League debut against Aston Villa

Barcelona have called up Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim to strengthen their youth team for Tuesday’s UEFA Youth League meeting with Aston Villa.

The match is the fourth in the league phase of the competition and Barcelona are hoping a victory will improve their chances of reaching the next round.

The club have also added Ibrahima Tounkara to the squad managed by Pol Planas, with Barcelona seeking to field a strong side for a match that could prove significant in their European campaign.

Barcelona have collected four points from a possible nine so far. Three points against Aston Villa would strengthen their position in the race to progress and keep alive their hopes of finishing among the leading teams in the league phase.

A high finish would also help Barcelona avoid the play-off round for a place in the last 16.

The Catalan side take some confidence from their most recent European outing, when they played away against Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital.

Tounkara joined the youth squad after training with Planas on Monday, despite having recently been involved with the first team under manager Hansi Flick.

The 16-year-old cannot play in the UEFA Champions League for Barcelona’s senior side because he does not meet the requirements for inclusion on List B. Those rules require a player to have spent two consecutive years at the club since turning 15.

As Tounkara is not registered on List A and does not fulfil the List B conditions, the UEFA Youth League is currently the available European competition in which he can play.

Abdelkarim, meanwhile, did not complete Monday’s group training. Barcelona have nevertheless selected him for the youth team as they consider giving him his first appearance in the competition.

His involvement with the first team has been limited, while Gabriel Jesus and Raphinha are now fully available to the senior squad. Barcelona’s sporting department therefore decided to give the Egyptian attacker an opportunity to gain competitive experience with the youth side.

The match against Aston Villa will offer Abdelkarim a new test at both development and competitive level, while Barcelona look for a result that can improve their prospects of qualification.

The UEFA Youth League fixture takes place on 03 November 2026.