Hansi Flick tests three Barcelona players ahead of Joan Gamper clash

Barcelona have one final pre-season fixture remaining before opening their 2026/27 La Liga campaign on Sunday. 

The Joan Gamper Trophy encounter against Egyptian club Al-Ahly is scheduled for Wednesday and will also give supporters at Spotify Camp Nou their first look at the squad ahead of the new season.

Much of the attention will centre on the team Hansi Flick selects, with the German coach expected to field a starting XI close to the one he plans to use in the league opener against Elche.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Flick has been using the final stages of pre-season to assess several players in unfamiliar positions. During a recent training match, three Barcelona players were deployed away from their usual roles as the coach continued to evaluate his options.

One of them was Jules Kounde, who has increasingly been considered as an alternative at centre-back this season. The departure of Ronald Araujo, coupled with Eric Garcia's expected role at right-back, could give Flick greater reason to use the Frenchman in central defence. The coach therefore tested Kounde alongside the centre-backs during the session.

Youngster Brian Farinas was another player given a different assignment, with the academy product operating at right-back. Farinas had not played in that position for Barca Atletic, but Flick was keen to assess his suitability there following the departure of Tommy Marques, who had also been viewed as an option in the role.

Raphinha, meanwhile, continued to feature through the middle as a centre-forward. The Brazilian had already occupied that position in Barcelona's previous friendly against Basel, suggesting Flick is continuing to consider him as an option in attack.

With the Gamper Trophy providing Barcelona's final pre-season test, attention will now turn to whether any of the three players have done enough to convince Flick that their experimental roles could become part of his plans for the new campaign.