Basel Takes On Barcelona: Everything You Need To Know Before The Epic Clash

With just one week to go before their opening competitive match of the 2026–27 season, Barcelona face Swiss outfit Basel in their second-to-last preseason friendly.

La Blaugrana began their summer preparations by hammering Catalan lower-league side CE Europa in a behind-closed-doors fixture, before heading to England where they drew 2–2 with Tom Brady's Birmingham City. Last weekend, they faced Nottingham Forest and Udinese in back-to-back matches, claiming a 1–0 win over the former before suffering a 1–0 defeat to the latter.

The new La Liga season is already underway, but Barcelona have been granted additional preparation time given that so many of their key players were involved deep into the World Cup. This allows them to fit in two further warmup matches, beginning with Basel before the Joan Gamper Trophy clash against Egyptian club Al Ahly on Wednesday.

Hansi Flick has welcomed back the final group of players returning from their breaks, including his sizeable contingent of Spanish World Cup winners. They could see some action, as will a number of promising youngsters alongside several seasoned professionals.

Basel vs. Barcelona Score Prediction

Barça Taste Routine Victory

Barça have yet to hit their peak form with their first competitive fixture rapidly approaching, but the trip to Switzerland presents another opportunity to get valuable minutes into the legs of the first-team players who featured at the World Cup earlier this summer.

Raphinha, who netted the decisive goal against Forest last weekend, will be accompanied by several other high-profile names, and they will be expected to secure a win against a Basel side that has already played four competitive games this season.

The hosts were in action in the Swiss Cup on Saturday, cruising past lower-league side FC Courtételle 6–1, though they still fielded a strong starting lineup for the comfortable victory. That leaves their manager, former Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner, with some selection dilemmas ahead of the Barça encounter.

Even so, the reigning La Liga champions should emerge victorious, even if their display is unlikely to be flawless.

Prediction: Basel 0–2 Barcelona

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Basel

Flick must plan without the injured pair of Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji, the latter having recently torn his ACL during training. The injury has derailed a potential summer transfer and will keep him out for a large portion of the 2026–27 campaign.

Despite now having a full complement of players available in training, Flick will be cautious about throwing the recently returned stars straight into the starting lineup against Basel. Nevertheless, the likes of Lamine Yamal, Jules Koundé, and summer arrival Anthony Gordon are all part of the traveling party, with the latter potentially making his unofficial bow for the club.

Pedri has not made the trip to Switzerland, however, while Marc Casadó has also been left out amid speculation over his future.

A lineup similar to the one that defeated Forest could be deployed, featuring appearances from Raphinha, Fermín López, Andreas Christensen, and new addition Karim Adeyemi.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Basel (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Espart, Christensen, Martín, Balde; Bernal, Fariñas; Adeyemi, López, Raphinha; Abdelkarim.

What Time Does Basel vs. Barcelona Kick Off?

How to Watch Basel vs. Barcelona on TV, Live Stream

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