Birmingham vs Barcelona Prediction: Tips & Odds

Birmingham City welcome Barcelona to St Andrew’s on Saturday morning New Zealand time for the headline fixture of their pre-season schedule.

In this Birmingham vs Barcelona preview, I look at what both sides are working with ahead of the new season and why the goals market is worth a closer look for those keen on some football betting this week.

Birmingham City

Birmingham came 10th in the Championship last season - not exactly where the ownership group will have wanted them to be, but still, it’s a platform to go again.

Chris Davies had his squad in Portugal for a training camp earlier this month, and they’ve played four or five friendlies already. Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch both scored 10 league goals last season, and Demarai Gray chipped in with five.

Kyogo Furuhashi leaving for LA Galaxy is a blow, though. He was one of their higher-profile names. Dael Fry and Jhon Solis have come in, and Luis Vazquez is reportedly close to completing a move from Anderlecht, but the squad is still being assembled. 

I don’t expect Davies to hold too much back here. A prestige fixture at home, a packed St Andrew’s, and a chance for his players to test themselves against elite opposition - he’ll want a response.

Team News: Wagner has departed. Vazquez is expected to complete his move in the coming days but may not be registered in time. No significant injury concerns reported.

Predicted Lineup: Allsop; Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Fry, Cochrane; Iwata, Leonard; Roberts, Paik, Gray; Stansfield.

Barcelona

Two consecutive La Liga titles. A 2-0 win over Real Madrid to clinch it with three matches to spare. Flick’s Barcelona were utterly dominant last season.

None of that will count for much on Friday night in Birmingham.

Flick has named a 30-man squad for this trip to England, and it’s thin on household names. Spain’s World Cup winners are all still on holiday after their triumph on July 19 - Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Pau Cubarsi, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Gavi, Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia won’t be involved. Jules Kounde is yet to link up, and Raphinha has been given additional time off after a hamstring issue during Brazil’s World Cup campaign. New €80 million signing Anthony Gordon joins later too.

What Flick does have is Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen at the back, with Marc Casado and Marc Bernal controlling things in midfield. Karim Adeyemi is the name to watch after his move from Borussia Dortmund, and Roony Bardghji and Shane Kluivert lead a young forward line. Frenkie de Jong is in the squad despite an MCL injury sustained at the World Cup, though I’d be surprised if he features.

Barcelona thumped Europa 4-1 in a closed-door training game last week, with La Masia kids scoring all four.

Team News: Yamal, Pedri, Cubarsi, Olmo, Torres, Gavi, Eric Garcia, Joan Garcia and Kounde are all unavailable. Raphinha is resting after his World Cup hamstring issue. De Jong is a major doubt. Fermin Lopez is in the squad after returning early from Spain’s World Cup group.

Predicted Lineup: Ter Stegen; Fort, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Casado, Bernal; Bardghji, Diarra, Adeyemi; Kluivert.

• Barcelona scored four in their only pre-season outing so far, a closed-door win over Europa.
• Birmingham won their Arthur Cup fixture against Solihull Moors 3-0 earlier this month.
• Flick’s squad is missing the bulk of Spain’s World Cup-winning contingent from the July 19 final.
• Birmingham finished 10th in the Championship last season, scoring 56 goals across 46 games.
• Barcelona scored 95 La Liga goals in 2025-26, the most in the division.

I’m going with Barcelona to win this, but I wouldn’t be putting serious money on the margin. Araujo and Christensen at the back give Flick a solid foundation, and Adeyemi will want to impress in his first outing. Against a Championship side still finding its rhythm in pre-season, that feels like enough.

Birmingham won’t be overawed, though. Davies will see this as a fitness exercise and a night for his squad to go and compete. Stansfield and Ducksch have goals in them, and if Barca’s makeshift backline is as raw as it looked against Europa, I can see the hosts finding the net.

For those browsing the NZ betting sites for angles here, the goals markets look the smartest play. Friendlies at this stage of pre-season are loose by nature, and with both teams likely to rotate at half-time, this game should open up.

Over 3.5 Goals @ $2.10

Pre-season friendlies with wholesale substitutions at the break are breeding grounds for goals, and I don’t see this being any different.

Barcelona put four past Europa with a squad full of teenagers. Birmingham scored three against Solihull and have looked sharp across their warm-up fixtures. Neither defence will be anything close to settled - Flick has two senior centre-backs available, and Birmingham are still integrating Fry.

At $2.10, this price works nicely for those checking the best betting apps available in New Zealand.