Barcelona could give new signing Karim Adeyemi his debut as the Spanish champions face Birmingham at a sold-out St Andrew's in their opening pre-season friendly . Barca are without the majority of their first-team stars due to the World Cup but Adeyemi is part of a 30-man travelling squad to England and could be involved on Friday .
The 24-year-old Germany striker joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund in an initial £19million deal last week as the Catalan club revamp their strikeforce following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford .
Barca beat local side Club Esportiu Europa 4-1 in a behind-closed-doors game last week but have now stepped things up with a week of training at St George’s Park in Staffordshire before taking on Birmingham .
The Blues finished 10th in the Championship last season having won promotion from League One the previous campaign. This will be their final pre-season friendly before facing Swansea in the Carabao Cup on August 8 .
Chris Davies ’ side have won all five of their summer friendlies so far and with a weakened Barca side lacking in competitive action, we think Birmingham could come out on top and our prediction is a home win with BTTS @ 9/2 .
Betting Odds
Birmingham vs Barcelona Betting Odds
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Birmingham | 11/4 | 26.7% |
Barcelona | 4/7 | 63.6% |
Draw | 3/1 | 25% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Birmingham are 11/4 to beat Barcelona , who are 4/7 to win, with the draw at 3/1.
Form Guides
Birmingham form guide
Blues ended last season on a five-match unbeaten run, including three successive home wins, as they claimed a top-10 finish on their return to the second tier. And they have picked up where they left off after returning for pre-season, beating Huddersfield, Solihull Moors, Burton, Crewe and Northampton to make it five out of five in friendly action .
Barca will pose a different sort of test even without the majority of their World Cup contingent, but we expect an in-form Birmingham side to cause them plenty of problems. Davies ’ side have averaged around two goals a game in pre-season, with Demarai Gray netting four times and August Priske and Kyogo Furuhashi twice each, while they have conceded only twice, and we’re not expecting a goal fest on Friday either.
A 2-1 home win @ 12/1 looks tempting, as does a Birmingham victory with under 2.5 goals in total @ 11/1 .
Barcelona form guide
Barca had 16 of their title-winning squad involved in this summer’s World Cup , 10 of whom reached the semi-finals, and the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde and new signing Anthony Gordon are all absent this week. However, Hansi Flick has still included several familiar names for the trip to England, including Marc-Andre ter Stegen , Ronald Araujo, Fermin Lopez and recent addition Adeyemi , while Brazil star Raphinha linked up with his team-mates on Wednesday.
Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong was also part of the travelling party as he recovers from the knee ligament tear he suffered last week. Barca , whose LaLiga title defence begins with a trip to Elche on August 23, are in a very different part of their pre-season preparations to Birmingham and that could impact Friday’s result.
You can get 4/7 for a Barca victory but our tip is for a BOYLE Sports Double Chance of Birmingham to win or draw @ 11/10 .
Betting Tips
Birmingham v Barcelona Betting Tips
Birmingham to win with BTTS @ 9/2
Birmingham to win or draw @ 11/10
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