Birmingham City vs Barcelona prediction 31.07.2026 | Club Friendly

Birmingham suffered an unexpected relegation from the Championship in the 2023/24 season after 13 consecutive seasons, but managed to return the following season immediately. Then last season, they did great, finishing 10th with 64 points, 17 points clear of the danger zone. So, an overall good season was behind the Blues, but considering the team they assembled, we weren't really too surprised. 

During the offseason, the club only improved the squad, considering the players who left weren't among the key ones last season. Meanwhile, they added striker Luis Vazquez and central defender Dael Fry. Moreover, midfielder Jhon Solis arrived on a permanent deal after spending the previous period with Birmingham on loan from Girona. 

The squad looks better than last season, and the expectations should be pretty high, especially after good performances in the friendlies. 

Barcelona won La Liga last season, finishing eight points ahead of Real Madrid. To be fair, Atletico Madrid a bit ruined their season by eliminating them from the Champions League Quarter-Finals and the Copa del Rey Semi-Finals. 

The Catalan club has been fairly active during the transfer window. Robert Lewandowski left on a free transfer to Chicago, and Ansu Fati left to join Monaco for 11 million euros. At the same time, Rashford and Cancelo returned to their clubs after being on loan deals. On the other hand, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi were brought in for 80 and 22 million euros. Moreover, several young players from La Masia were promoted to the senior team, at least for now. 

For this friendly game, Barcelona will miss most of their key players. Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres...