Barcelona welcome Athletic Club to Camp Nou in the Spanish top flight on Sunday night.
Barcelona host Athletic Club on Sunday night in a meeting between representatives from two of Spain’s biggest autonomous communities; Catalonia and the Basque Country.
The Catalans produced one of their most encouraging performances in a 3-0 victory over Villarreal in midweek, quelling the “negative dynamic” set in motion by Champions League disappointment against Inter and a Clasico defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.
Under the stewardship of former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, Athletic Club have recorded their best start to a league season since 2013 – during Valverde’s first spell at the club.
The last domestic trophy Xavi Hernandez ever won as a Barcelona player was at the expense of Athletic in the 2015 Copa del Rey final. The former skipper replaced Andres Iniesta with 35 minutes of the showpiece to play before hoisting aloft the gigantic trophy at the end of a final oddly held in Barcelona’s home ground.
Here’s the XI Xavi may deploy from the dugout against foes that prompt happy memories.
1. Barcelona XI (4-3-3)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – No La Liga goalkeeper has taken more touches outside their defensive third than the adventurous Ter Stegen this season.
RB: Sergi Roberto – The Barcelona academy graduate is from the same town in Tarragona as the lauded Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.
CB: Jules Kounde – The former Sevilla centre-back was part of a defence which kept clean sheets home and away against Athletic last season.
CB: Eric Garcia – The first red card of Garcia’s senior career came in just his second appearance for Barcelona’s first team and was against Athletic Club in August 2021.
LB: Alejandro Balde – Despite being nudged towards athletics by his parents, Balde caught the football bug when one of the players for his older brother’s team didn’t show up, giving ‘Alex’ the chance to fill in.
CM: Gavi – Following in the footsteps of his compatriot and teammate Pedri last year, Gavi was voted as the 2022 Golden Boy, recognising the teenager as the best male player under the age of 21.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – Orchestrating from deep and snuffing out Villarreal’s forward thrusts, De Jong enjoyed an impressive display at the base of midfield in midweek – a performance which may earn him a second successive start.
CM: Franck Kessie – With the visit of Bayern Munich rapidly approaching next week, Xavi may rest his prized midfielder Pedri, sending Kessie out for what would be his third league start of the campaign.
RW: Ferran Torres – The January arrival practised his dribbling skills by evading the family dog whose “sole intention was to try to get the ball off me”. Yet, last season only Jordi Alba had a worse dribbling success rate than Torres in the Barcelona squad (33%). Perhaps a dog isn’t the best trainer.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona’s leading scorer is the first player since the Brazilian Ronaldo in 1996 to hit double digits (11) in his first ten La Liga matches (per MisterChip).
LW: Ousmane Dembele – The Frenchman came off the bench to score one and create two more during Athletic’s last trip to Camp Nou.
Here’s everything you need to know about the meeting between these Spanish giants.
Where are Barcelona vs Athletic playing?
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou
- Date: Sunday 23 October
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST
- VAR: Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez
- Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera
Where can you watch Barcelona vs Athletic in the UK?
- Channel: ITV 4
- Channel: Premier Sports 1
- Streaming Service: ITV Hub
- Streaming Service: LaLigaTV
- Streaming Service: Premier Player
- Broadcast Time: 20:00 (BST)
Where can you watch Barcelona vs Athletic in The United States?
- Streaming Service: ESPN+
- Broadcast Time EST: 15:00
- Broadcast Time PST: 12:00
Where can you watch Barcelona vs Athletic in Canada?
- Channel: TSN
- Streaming Service: TSN App
- Broadcast Time (EST): 15:00
Where can you watch Barcelona vs Athletic Highlights?
- Channel: Premier Sports
- Stream: La Liga YouTube channel
Barcelona vs Athletic H2H Results (Last Five Games)
Barcelona: 3 Wins
Athletic: 1 Win
Draws: 1
Current Form (Last Five Games)
Barcelona: LWDLW
Athletic: WWDLD
Barcelona team news
Barcelona’s weighty injury load is gradually lightening. Ronald Araujo has only just begun his recovery after undergoing hip surgery but Xavi was able to welcome back Hector Bellerin in midweek.
Marcos Alonso, however, did have to fill in at centre-back while Andreas Christensen continues to nurse an ankle injury. Memphis Depay has been waylaid with a hamstring problem since September’s international break.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Athletic
Barcelona Starting 11 (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Kounde, Garcia, Balde; Gavi, De Jong, Kessie; Torres, Lewandowski, Dembele.
Bench: Pena, Bellerin, Pique, Busquets, Fati, Pedri, Raphinha, Alonso, Alba.
Athletic team news
During Athletic’s 2-2 draw with Getafe in midweek, top scorer Inaki Williams “fell badly on the last play after his shot,” according to Valverde.
However, the striker himself quelled any concerns over his fitness after the match by confirming that he is “well” but “tired”.
Athletic predicted lineup vs Barcelona
Athletic Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Simon; De Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Lekue; Sancet, Vesga; N Williams, Muniain, Berenguer; I Williams.
Bench: Agirrezabala, Vivian, D Garcia, Vencedor, Villalibre, R Garcia, Balenziaga, Morcillo, Guruzeta.
Barcelona vs Athletic score prediction
This is a meeting between the two La Liga sides that have completed the most high turnovers in the division this season. However, whereas Barcelona consistently press in a bid to rapidly retrieve possession, Athletic are far more direct after winning the ball in the final third, with their surges forward spearheaded by the jet-heeled Williams brothers.
After five wins from their first seven matches of the campaign, Athletic’s red-hot start has begun to cool during a winless October. If Barcelona can replicate the standard they set with a slightly tweaked side in midweek, the Catalans should have enough to get one over their Basque counterparts.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Athletic