FC Barcelona opened the 2026-27 La Liga season in dominant fashion on Sunday, thrashing Elche 0-5 away from home. New signings Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon made immediate impacts, while Raphinha and Fermín López each scored twice. However, the victory was marred by a first-half injury to midfielder Gavi.
A Dominant Start Powered by New Signings
Barcelona kicked off their new domestic campaign with an emphatic statement on the road against Elche, securing a comfortable 0-5 victory. The match showcased the early integration of the club’s summer acquisitions, with Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon featuring prominently in the attacking buildup. The pair arrived as part of a busy transfer window that saw the club spend more than €170million ($198m; £146m) on stars such as Rodri, Gordon, and Adeyemi. Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have been two exciting additions, and bolstering their frontline by bringing in Gordon from Newcastle United and Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund cost a combined fee of just under €100m.
While the newcomers settled quickly, established figures did the heavy lifting on the scoresheet as Raphinha and Fermín López with each two goals were very important to dismantle the Elche defence. The performance answers immediate questions about squad depth, particularly as Hansi Flick’s team pursues a rare milestone. Winning the Spanish top-flight title for the third year in a row would make this Barcelona squad the first to do that since Pep Guardiola’s Barca in 2011, with nice symmetry in them doing that against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid — while they also have unfinished business in the Champions League, as bringing Champions League glory back to the city 12 years after their last European title win is Flick’s ultimate goal.
Midfield Injury Concerns Overshadow the Win
Despite the emphatic scoreline, the evening brought significant concern regarding squad fitness. Gavi was forced off the pitch already in the first half with an injury (al in de eerste helft naar de kant met een blessure), adding to a growing list of physical setbacks for the squad’s core midfielders.
The midfield department is already navigating serious absences. Frenkie de Jong is not available, and will not be for some time, following a ligament injury in his right knee during the World Cup. That injury sparked internal debate, with Barca sources believing De Jong should undergo surgery, while the player preferred to follow a conservative treatment and see if he could recover without an operation. The 29-year-old’s recovery will define how much he plays this campaign, and given Rodri, Pedri, and Gavi are still building up to full fitness after the World Cup, it would not be a surprise to see 19-year-old and La Masia converted right-back/midfielder Xavi Espart feature as well.
Unresolved Transfer Priorities Before the Window Can Close
Barcelona head into the opening weeks of the season carrying a notable squad imbalance. Following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, the club still lacks a senior centre-forward, with their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez so far proving fruitless as Atletico Madrid refuse to entertain the idea of losing Barca’s top target Julian Alvarez, leaving them heading into the season without a senior striker.
The lack of a traditional No. 9 places additional pressure on younger squad members. Hamza Abdelkarim, the 18-year-old Egyptian whose loan move from Al Ahly was made permanent this summer, finished as the top scorer in pre-season with four goals and is a classic No. 9 with great goalscoring instincts who can expect to get some playing time at the start of the season and could capitalise on Barca not having a senior striker. Meanwhile, the club’s leadership structure remains in flux following the loan moves of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo to Ajax and Liverpool. Flick has named Raphinha temporary captain, at least until the end of the transfer window, when a dressing-room vote will be held next month.
