Barcelona will use Sunday’s friendly against the Swiss national team in Basel to assess several players returning from international duty, with Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim included in Hansi Flick’s travelling squad.
The match is part of Barcelona’s preparations for the new season and will give a number of their World Cup internationals the chance to gradually rebuild their match sharpness after rejoining the squad in training this week.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Flick has decided to involve several senior internationals in the fixture but will leave out midfielders Pedri and Gavi.
Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gordon and Jules Kounde are all in contention to feature against the Swiss opposition.
Barcelona have already travelled to Switzerland for the match, which forms part of Flick’s pre-season programme. The manager is using the fixture to monitor the condition of players who have only recently returned from international commitments before the competitive campaign begins.
The travelling party also includes several young players as Barcelona manage absences within the squad. Reserve-team goalkeeper Eder Aller joined the first-team training session on Saturday and has been selected to provide cover for goalkeeper Aron Yaakobishvili.
Yaakobishvili’s proposed move to Almeria remains stalled, leaving him unavailable for the trip and prompting the inclusion of Aller in the group.
Flick has also called up a further group of promising youngsters to complete the squad. They include Alvaro Cortes, Xavi Espart, Jordi Pesquer, Bryan Farinas, Oriol Guirin and Jesse Piesioo, as well as Hamza Abdelkarim and Ibrahima Tonkara.
The inclusion of Abdelkarim gives the Egyptian striker an opportunity to work alongside Barcelona’s senior players during an important stage of the club’s preparations. His presence has also attracted particular attention as the club continues to finalise its plans before the new season and its meeting with Al Ahly.
Sunday’s game carries significance for Flick beyond the result. It will allow him to judge how quickly the returning internationals are approaching full fitness while also giving emerging players the chance to make an impression.
Barcelona’s coaching staff will therefore be assessing both groups during the Basel fixture: established players seeking to regain their rhythm and younger members of the squad hoping to move closer to first-team involvement when the season gets under way.
With Pedri and Gavi rested, the match should also provide opportunities for other midfield and attacking options to take responsibility. Meanwhile, the presence of players such as Yamal, Olmo, the Garcia duo, Cubarsi and Kounde will give Flick a clearer indication of how his squad is progressing after the latest arrivals from international duty.
