Anthony Gordon leads Birmingham City into Barcelona friendly at St Andrew's

anthony gordon headlines Birmingham City's home meeting with Barcelona at St Andrew's on Friday, 31 July. Birmingham will use the friendly against the Spanish champions and five-time European champions as part of its build-up to the new Championship season.

Jeremy Dale on Barcelona

Jeremy Dale said Barcelona had chosen to kick off their pre-season campaign with Birmingham City, adding: "Barcelona are a powerhouse of world football and have chosen to kick-off their pre-season campaign with us,"

He also said: "People are seeing that there is an exciting story unfolding here." Hosting one of the most iconic teams in the world, with such a rich history and global following, is a fantastic opportunity as Birmingham builds towards the new season.

St Andrew's and the league schedule

The timing gives Birmingham a notable home fixture before the Championship starts on the weekend of 14-16 August. The league fixtures will be published on Thursday, 25 June, and this match arrives before that release.

St Andrew's has been a difficult ground for visiting league sides. Birmingham lost only three league games at home last season, a record that gives the Barcelona visit a sharper edge than a typical summer exhibition.

Barcelona's old edge

The clubs have met five times before, and every one of those games came in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Barcelona won the 1960 final 4-1 on aggregate, the last time the sides shared a stage.

That history is limited, but the setting is not. Birmingham now gets a rare chance to test itself at home against a club with Barcelona's record before the new campaign begins.