Birmingham City manager Chris Davies and Barcelona counterpart Hansi Flick
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies and Barcelona counterpart Hansi Flick
Birmingham City take on double La Liga champions Barcelona at St Andrew's this evening in one of the most eye-catching pre-season matches the club has ever played.
Blues face the Catalan giants looking to gild what has already been a promising pre-season - in terms of results at least - having reeled off five straight wins.
Outcomes in warm-up games aren't important but there were encouraging signs in victories over Huddersfield Town, Solihull Moors, Burton Albion, Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra.
Demarai Gray and August Priske have scored regular goals and a couple of new players have arrived, with Luis Vazquez and Kristoffer Lund having joined the club in the last few days.
Barcelona, who will be without World Cup winning stars like Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo, are currently training at St George's Park and are back at St Andrew's for the first time since the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in March 1960.
The game kicks off at 7.45pm, Brian Dick will be in the press-box and we'll bring you all the breaking teams news, updates, action and reaction as things unfold.
I - Inter Cities Fairs Cup. Blues became the first English side to take part in European competition when they played their first group game in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup competition on 15 May 1956. They went on to reach the semi-final where they drew 4–4 on aggregate with Barcelona, losing the replay 2–1. They were also the first English side to reach a European final, losing 4–1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the 1960 Fairs Cup final and 4–2 to A.S. Roma the following year.
I - Inter Cities Fairs Cup. Blues became the first English side to take part in European competition when they played their first group game in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup competition on 15 May 1956. They went on to reach the semi-final where they drew 4–4 on aggregate with Barcelona, losing the replay 2–1. They were also the first English side to reach a European final, losing 4–1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the 1960 Fairs Cup final and 4–2 to A.S. Roma the following year.