Barcelona begin their 2026–27 preseason preparations when taking on Catalan minnows CE Europa in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday.
Many of Barça’s first-teamers have been busy competing at this summer’s World Cup and Hansi Flick is still without an array of his star performers, including the eight world champions who represented Spain in North America. A makeshift lineup will be selected against CE Europa and a host of La Masia products will be handed opportunities to shine.
La Blaugrana will soon travel to England for part of their preseason adventure, starting with a fixture against Tom Brady’s Birmingham City at the end of the month. First they must overcome third tier opposition and avoid an early upset.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to the game.
Barcelona vs. CE Europa Score Prediction
Barcelona Make Winning Start
Friendlies are always wildly unpredictable. Even the world’s soccer behemoths can come up short against inferior opposition, but Barça should avoid embarrassment here.
While it will be an unfamiliar lineup comprised largely of young players and rotated throughout the match, Flick will demand an intense performance that yields victory.
La Masia is the finest talent factory around and its leading performers should put on a show alongside a handful of regulars.
Prediction: Barcelona 3–1 CE Europa
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. CE Europa
Some of Flick’s first-teamers that didn’t represent their countries at the World Cup, such as Alejandro Balde, Roony Bardghji and Marc Bernal, will all feature in some capacity against Europa, while Wojciech Szczęsny, Héctor Fort, Ronald Araújo, Gerard Martín and Marc Casadó are other established names who should get a run out.
Fermín López is back in training with Barça after missing the World Cup through injury, but might not be risked during Friday’s friendly, while it remains to be seen if the injury-prone Andreas Christensen earns any minutes.
Shane Kluivert, Xavi Espart and Toni Fernández are among the youngsters who could feature prominently.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs CE Europa (4-3-3): Szczęsny; Fort, Araújo, Martín, Balde; Bernal, Casadó, Espart; Kluivert, T. Fernández, Bardghji.
What Time Does Barcelona vs. CE Europa Kick Off?
- Location : Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium : Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (Behind closed doors)
- Date : Friday, May 24
- Kick-off Time : 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT / 7 p.m. BST
How to Watch Barcelona vs. CE Europa on TV, Live Stream
There are currently no broadcasts for Barcelona vs. CE Europa.
