Karim Adeyemi Set for Barcelona Debut Against Birmingham City
Barcelona's newest signing is expected to make his first appearance for the club when the Blaugrana take on Birmingham City in their opening preseason match in England.
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Adeyemi Ready for His First Barcelona Appearance
Karim Adeyemi is expected to make his long-awaited Barcelona debut on Friday when the Catalan club faces Birmingham City in its first preseason friendly of the England training camp.
Head coach Hansi Flick is planning to field two different lineups throughout the match to spread the workload across the squad while continuing to evaluate his players ahead of the new campaign.
After joining the club earlier this month and spending the past week training with his new teammates, the German winger is now considered ready to begin adapting to Barcelona's style of play in a match environment.
Flick Continues to Shape His Squad
Flick traveled to England with a 30-man squad that includes several Barcelona Atlètic prospects while the club awaits the return of its Spanish internationals following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
One notable absentee is goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who has left the team's training camp to finalize his loan move to Ajax.
Raphinha, who only recently returned from vacation, will also miss the match, along with Frenkie de Jong, who is recovering from a knee injury, while Alejandro Balde and Fermín López continue working their way back to full fitness.
Young Players Have a Chance to Impress
Beyond Adeyemi's anticipated debut, the friendly will give Flick another opportunity to assess several academy prospects hoping to earn a place in the senior squad.
Players such as Jofre Torrents, Espart, Brian Fariñas, and Hamza will be looking to prove they are ready to compete at the highest level and contribute during the upcoming season.
The coaching staff will also keep a close eye on established first-team players including Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Marc Casadó, Marc Bernal, and Gerard Martín as they continue building match fitness.
Barcelona's Preparation Continues
The friendly against Birmingham City marks another important step in Barcelona's preseason preparations before opening its LaLiga campaign on August 23.
While the result will matter little, Flick's priority will be evaluating his new signing, continuing to build chemistry within the squad, and determining which young players are ready to make the leap into the first team.
