A victim of perfection: Inside Abdelkarim's harsh Barcelona reality check

Why Hansi Flick just demoted Hamza Abdelkarim to the fourth tier?

Europe Today at 13:12

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A victim of perfection: Inside Abdelkarim's harsh Barcelona reality check

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has omitted Egyptian prospect Hamza Abdelkarim from the matchday squad to face Real Betis on Saturday in La Liga.

Squad size limit behind omission

Abdelkarim was left out of the travelling party to comply with maximum squad size regulations following the return of key first team regulars from the treatment room.

Both Brazilian winger Raphinha and Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong have been cleared to return from injury reducing the available spots for youth and reserve call ups ahead of the Matchday 9 fixture.

🚨 Hamza Abdelkarim has made it clear that he would have NO problem dropping down to Barça Atlètic if it means getting more minutes. The Egyptian striker has told the club that his priority is simply to PLAY, whether that is with the first team, the reserve side or Egypt. Hansi Flick likes what he sees from Hamza in training, but competition for minutes in attack is currently extremely high. — @sport
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) October 15, 2026

Perfect start to the 2026 /27 campaign

Barcelona travel to Seville sitting at the top of the La Liga standings with a perfect record of 24 point, having won all eight of their opening league matches this season.

Flick's side will look to maintain that unbeaten momentum with a reinforced midfield and attack against Real Betis.

Full Barcelona squad against Real Betis

Flick named the following 23 man squad for Saturday's trip:

Goalkeepers: Joan García, Wojciech Szczęsny, Dominik Livaković
Defenders: João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Balde, Xavi Espart, Gerard Martín, Jules Koundé, Eric García
Midfielders: Brian Fariñas, Gavi, Fermín López, Pedri, Rodri, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal
Forwards: Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Karim Adeyemi, Gordon

🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Real Betis are expected to ROTATE HALF of their starting XI for tomorrow's match against Barcelona! — @Pepelias17_ https://t.co/guHAEkSSmy
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) October 16, 2026

What happens next?

Rather than travelling with the senior side, Abdelkarim will gain match minutes with Barcelona's reserve team this weekend.

According to Spanish media reports, the Egyptian player is scheduled to feature against Utebo on Saturday in the Spanish fourth tier.

Khaled Hegazy |

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