La Liga,
Round 1
Barcelona
BAR
Athletic Club
BIL
-
Venue
- Camp Nou
Barcelona v Athletic Club preview
Barcelona will look to make it two wins from two at the start of their La Liga title defence when Athletic Bilbao visit the Spotify Camp Nou on Thursday evening.
Hansi Flick’s side opened the campaign with a 5-0 win over Elche, while Athletic Bilbao suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Sevilla in Edin Terzic’s first competitive match in charge.
Flick’s side also have an excellent record against Athletic at home, having avoided defeat in their last 15 La Liga meetings with the Basque club at Camp Nou.
The recent head-to-head record offers Terzic little encouragement either. Athletic have scored just once across their last six meetings with Barcelona, all of which ended in defeat for the Basque side.
Barcelona scored 17 goals across those six victories, including a 5-0 win in the Spanish Super Cup and a 4-0 La Liga victory last season.
The most recent meeting ended in a 1-0 Barcelona win at San Mames in March.
Barcelona v Athletic Club team news
Barcelona could hand Rodri his debut after the midfielder returned to training following a minor back operation.
Frenkie de Jong remains sidelined with a knee ligament injury, while Gavi is expected to return to contention soon after suffering a knee bruise during the win over Elche.
Athletic will be without Unai Eguiluz, Daniel Vivian and Nico Serrano due to injury, while Berchiche is suspended following his red card against Sevilla.
Unai Simon will be looking to bounce back after conceding three goals against Sevilla.
Aymeric Laporte and Nico Williams both appeared from the bench in the defeat, and Williams could return to the starting XI for Thursday’s fixture. His pace could provide Athletic with an important outlet on the counter-attack.
Barcelona v Athletic Club expected line-ups
Barcelona: Garcia; Espart, Cubarsi, Garcia, Martin; Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha, Adeyemi.
Athletic Bilbao: Simon; Boiro, Paredes, Alvarez, Areso; Canales, Gerenabarrena; Berenguer, Sancet, N. Williams; Guruzeta.
ℹ️ Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 20–40 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.
Barcelona v Athletic Club stats, recent form
- Barcelona have won their last six meetings with Athletic Bilbao.
- Athletic have scored just once across those six defeats.
- Barcelona have scored 17 goals in their last six matches against Athletic.
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 15 La Liga home meetings with Athletic.
- Barcelona began their title defence with a 5-0 victory over Elche.
- Athletic lost 3-1 to Sevilla in their opening league match.
Where to Watch Barcelona v Athletic Club: TV and online streams
Kick-off on Thursday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 2 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.
A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.
Barcelona v Athletic Club prediction
Match Prediction
Barcelona
Athletic Club
After a tough start for Athletic Club, things will not get any better for them against the Spanish champions. Barcelona should ease to victory in their first home game of the season.
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