Barcelona: Up to Five Debutants vs Elche

First match of the season

Barcelona will play its first 2026/27 La Liga match against Elche at the Martínez Valero at 21:30, broadcast on Movistar LaLiga. The Illicitano club opened the season with a 1‑1 draw against Deportivo de A Coruña. For Barça, the squad announced this morning, which does not include Alejandro Balde, marks the third league under Hansi Flick.

New signings ready for debut

The players who could debut are Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, both newly added to the first team. Gordon, who joined from Newcastle for 70 million euros fixed plus 10 million in variables, and Adeyemi, who came from Borussia Dortmund for 22 million euros fixed plus 7 million in variables, could appear in the starting XI. João Cancelo, who has already played in the 2023/24 and 2025/26 seasons on loan, is also in the list.

La Masia gives new opportunities

Flick has called several La Masia players to pre‑season training. Xavi Espart and Álvaro Cortés already debuted last season and could return to the pitch. The Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim (18 years old), the Barça top scorer during pre‑season, is one of the main candidates. Jordi Pesquer (17 years old), a left‑back who joined Juvenil B five months ago, and Brian Fariñas (20 years old), a midfielder from Barça Atlètic, are also in the squad.

Context of the match

The game will be played at the Martínez Valero, Elche’s stadium. The squad does not include Balde, whose future remains uncertain. The match is the first chance to see the new faces of the Blaugrana kit in action and to evaluate Flick’s footballing proposal for the season.

Possible line‑ups

Although the final line‑up has not been announced, Flick could include the new signings and the youth players, depending on their performance in pre‑season. The goal is to give minutes to players who have shown their quality in training and at La Masia.

Conclusion

On August 24, Barcelona will face Elche in its first match of the season. Up to five players, including signings and youth prospects, could make their debut with the Blaugrana shirt.