Raphinha joins up with Barcelona squad: Will Brazilian face Birmingham in Friday's pre-season clash?

Raphinha has linked up with the Barcelona squad in England ahead of the Catalan outfit's two pre-season matches against Birmingham City and Preston North End.

Barcelona opened their preparations for the new campaign with a 4-1 success over CE Europa, and Hansi Flick's side are currently preparing for Friday's clash with Birmingham.

Raphinha has now linked up with the squad in England, with the forward recovering from the thigh injury that he suffered while representing Brazil during the 2026 World Cup.

However, there is no certainty regarding his involvement in either match against Birmingham or Preston, with Barcelona likely to be cautious when it comes to his recovery.

Now it's time to work ? pic.twitter.com/RapSHX8FfF

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 29, 2026

Raphinha links up with Barcelona squad

As it stands, a spot in the squad against Birmingham is seen as very difficult, while it is tough to imagine him featuring against Preston on August 3.

Raphinha scored 21 goals and registered eight assists in 33 appearances for Barcelona during the 2025-26 campaign, including 13 goals and three assists in 22 La Liga matches.

The Brazilian had a disappointing World Cup, though, only making two appearances at the competition before suffering an injury.

Raphinha was back on the bench against Norway in Brazil's last-16 clash, but he was not used.

Barcelona will also take on Nottingham Forest and Udinese as part of their preparations for the new season before rounding off their pre-season against Al Ahly on August 19.

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Barcelona will face Birmingham in Friday's pre-season clash

The Catalan side are expected to hand a debut to Karim Adeyemi in the match against Birmingham, with the forward arriving from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

However, Anthony Gordon, who has also joined this summer, represented England at the 2026 World Cup, and the ex-Newcastle United attacker is not with the squad.

Ferran Torres, Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Lamine Yamal are all on a post-World Cup break after helping Spain to triumph in the tournament, with those eight not involved in the England training camp.