Preview: Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

The Catalan outfit are currently second in the table, three points behind leaders Real Madrid on the same number of games, while Athletic occupy sixth spot, two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Match preview

Barcelona suffered their first La Liga defeat of the season in El Clasico last weekend, with Real Madrid recording a 3-1 victory at Bernabeu, and the reigning champions then moved six points clear at the summit by beating basement side Elche on Wednesday night.

As a result, there was pressure on Barcelona heading into Thursday's game with Villarreal, but a strong performance allowed the Catalan side to cut the gap back to three points, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice before Ansu Fati registered in a 3-0 success at Camp Nou.

Xavi's side will be pleased with their start to the league season, collecting 25 points from 10 matches, scoring 24 goals in the process and conceding just four.

However, the team face a huge battle to qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League, with four points from four matches leaving them third in Group C, three points behind second-placed Inter Milan.

Barcelona will welcome Bayern Munich to Camp Nou in the competition next week, but their hopes of reaching the round of 16 could be over by the time that the match kicks off, as Inter will be in action earlier on against Viktoria Plzen, and a victory would see the Italian side qualify with a game to spare.

Athletic, meanwhile, have also made a strong start to the 2022-23 campaign, winning five, drawing three and losing two of their 10 league games, which has left them in sixth position on 18 points.

The Basque outfit are just two points behind fourth-placed Atletico on the same number of matches, but they are winless in their last three, drawing with Sevilla and Getafe, in addition to losing at home to Atletico.

Athletic will face Barcelona, Villarreal, Girona and Real Valladolid in their four games before the campaign breaks for the World Cup, and they will be expecting to be in and around the top four by the time that the season comes to a halt.

Ernesto Valverde's side finished eighth in La Liga last season, but they were fourth in 2013-14 and certainly have a squad capable of challenging for a European finish this term.

The Lions, who have only conceded eight times in the league this term, have not beaten Barcelona in the league since August 2019, while they suffered a 4-0 defeat on their last visit to Camp Nou back in February.

Barcelona La Liga form:

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W

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W

L

W

Barcelona form (all competitions):

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L

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D

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Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:

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D

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D

Team News

Barcelona are again expected to be without the services of Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo this weekend, but Memphis Depay could potentially be back in the squad after a hamstring issue.

The Catalan outfit did not suffer any fresh issues against Villarreal on Thursday, but there is expected to be a couple of changes from that match, with Ousmane Dembele and Eric Garcia potentially coming into the side.

Sergio Busquets and Raphinha are also pushing for recalls, but Frenkie de Jong could keep his spot in midfield alongside Gavi and Pedri, while Fati's performance should see him keep out Raphinha, with Dembele coming in to replace Ferran Torres on the opposite side.

Lewandowski scored his 10th and 11th league goals of the season against Villarreal on Thursday, and the Poland international will again lead the Barcelona line.

As for Athletic, Ander Capa and Jon Morcillo remain on the sidelines through injury, but the Basque outfit have no fresh fitness concerns heading into this clash.

Head coach Valverde might make just the one change from the side that started against Getafe last time out, with Alex Berenguer potentially coming in for Mikel Vesga.

Raul Garcia and Dani Garcia are also among those pushing for starts, but an attacking lineup should include Iker Muniain, Inaki Williams and Nico Williams.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Ter Stegen; Roberto, Kounde, E Garcia, Alonso; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Dembele, Lewandowski, Fati

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:

Simon; De Marcos, I Martinez, Yeray, Lekue; Berenguer, Herrera, Sancet, Muniain; I Williams, N Williams

We say: Barcelona 3-1 Athletic Bilbao

Athletic have a lot of quality in the final third of the field and will fancy their chances of scoring on Sunday night despite Barcelona's impressive defensive record this season. That said, it is difficult to back against the hosts considering their quality, and we are expecting Xavi's side to secure all three points.

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