What Did Barcelona’s Win Over Basel Reveal in Their Final Friendly?

The debate began immediately after Barcelona’s performance in Switzerland. Here’s everything you need to know.

Barcelona wrapped up their preparations for the 2026-27 season with a 5-2 victory over Basel at St. Jakob-Park. The friendly featured goals, new faces and several tactical experiments from Hansi Flick, but it also raised an important question once again: who will lead the line following Robert Lewandowski’s departure?

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Adeyemi and Bisiwu Make Their Case

One of the biggest highlights was Karim Adeyemi’s first goal for Barcelona. The German opened the scoring in the 34th minute after receiving an assist from Raphinha and calmly finishing inside the box. Adeyemi started on the wing but once again showed that he could be an option at No. 9.

Another standout was Jesse Bisiwu. The new Barcelona forward scored twice in the final minutes, first with a shot into the top corner after controlling a pass from Dani Olmo, and then by converting an assist from Lamine Yamal. Both players gave Flick additional options in attack.

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Can Adeyemi Solve Barcelona’s Goalscoring Problem?

Hamza Steps Up Again as No. 9 Question Remains

Another player to make his mark was Hamza Abdelkarim. The Egyptian scored Barcelona’s second goal early in the second half, heading home an Adeyemi cross and once again showcasing his instincts inside the box.

Hamza had already scored a brace against Birmingham City, and he is increasingly looking like a genuine option as Barcelona continue searching for the center-forward they need. The departures of Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have left a significant void in attack, although the Catalan side is finding solutions through the movement and versatility of its forwards.

Raphinha played as a false nine, while Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon operated on the wings, a combination that allowed Barcelona to maintain pace and attacking depth.

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Anthony Gordon Impresses Flick at Barcelona

Espart Emerges as One of Flick’s Key Options

Beyond the goals, Xavi Espart was once again one of the positive takeaways. The academy product played as a central midfielder alongside Bernal, a position he already knows well after featuring there for Spain at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

His performance strengthened the impression that Flick intends to keep him involved with the first team throughout the season. The youngster once again displayed tactical maturity and confidence in possession.

Barcelona, however, still have work to do. Despite controlling much of the game, they showed problems when dropping back and some defensive uncertainty. Basel capitalized on one of those lapses to equalize before halftime through Doucoure. Lamine Yamal then restored Barcelona’s lead from the penalty spot, while Olaigbe pulled one back from another penalty before Bisiwu’s late brace sealed the 5-2 victory.

With the 5-2 win, Barcelona finish preseason with plenty of attacking positives but one clear issue to solve: finding the No. 9 capable of taking on the goalscoring burden left by Lewandowski.