Barcelona Kicks Off Preseason with 4-1 Friendly Win Over Europa

Barcelona secured a convincing 4-1 victory over Europa in their first friendly match in preparation for the 2026-2027 season, held behind closed doors at the Joan Gamper Sports City. This match marked the team's first test under the guidance of coach Hansi Flick following the start of the training period on July 13.

The match saw several players from the La Masia academy shine, with Ibrahim Diara, Hector Fort, Ibrahima, and Alex Gonzalez all finding the net for Barcelona. Flavio scored the only goal for the Europe team.

The first half ended with Barcelona leading 2-1, before the Catalan team extended their advantage with two goals in the second half.

Flick relied on a lineup featuring a significant number of young players alongside some experienced elements, while also giving playing time to several players whose futures at the club are still under consideration, such as Marc Casado, Marc-André ter Stegen, and Rony Bardghji.

On the other hand, new signing Karim Adeyemi did not participate after only taking part in his first training session with the team. Additionally, Fermín López, Ronald Araújo, Alejandro Balde, and Marc Bernal were also absent due to physical and precautionary reasons.

In the second half, Flick made extensive changes, bringing on Ter Stegen, Alex Gonzalez, Xavi Espart, Toni Fernandez, Marc Casado, Tommy Marquez, and Orian Gorin. The team continued to assert its dominance, securing a comfortable victory in their first preparatory match, with the coaching staff focusing on assessing the young players and experimenting with as many elements as possible.