Barcelona will host Athletic Club in La Liga on Sunday night, looking to build on their comprehensive win over Villarreal.
Barcelona did well to bounce back from their El Clasico defeat with a 3-0 win over Villarreal and Xavi Hernandez will demand a similar showing from his players against Athletic Club. The Catalan giants have an impressive head-to-head record against Athletic Club, and they will be the favourites heading into this contest.
Barcelona are currently second in La Liga, with 25 points from ten league matches. And they have picked up five wins from their last six top-flight games. The outings on Sunday will be a golden opportunity for them to close the gap with Real Madrid, who face a tricky opponent in Sevilla on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the visitors are currently sixth in the league, having failed to win their last three matches in La Liga. Athletic Club are coming into this game on the back of two draws and a defeat in the last three outings. They will be desperate to bounce back with a positive result here.
Barcelona can be prone to inconsistency as we have seen earlier, and it will be interesting to see whether the Basque outfit can pull off an upset here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
🚨 The squad for #BarçaAthletic! pic.twitter.com/HXNOOMg90S
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 22, 2022
Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo remain on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Memphis Depay is also unavailable, but the Dutch attacker should be available soon. Otherwise, Xavi Hernandez has a fully-fit squad at his disposal.
The Barcelona boss is likely to set up his side in the usual 4-3-3 formation with Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal. Sergi Roberto should start as the right-back, with Jules Kounde and Gerard Pique pairing up at the heart of the defence. Jordi Alba was given a run out against Villarreal, but Alejandro Balde could return to the starting eleven as the left-back here.
Sergio Busquets was rested against Villarreal, and he will likely return as the defensive midfielder here. The Barcelona captain will be flanked by youngsters Gavi and Pedri, who were exceptional in the last outing. They will be expected to control the tempo of the game and add some creativity in the final third.
Meanwhile, Frenkie de Jong did well to break up the play and win the ball back against Villarreal. And Busquets will be tasked to carry out a similar role here. As for the attacking unit, Ousmane Dembele could come back into the side after an impressive cameo last time out. Ferran Torres could make way for the Frenchman.
Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for the hosts, having scored a brace in his last game. Ansu Fati was exceptional for Barcelona in the last game as well, and the youngster should retain his place ahead of a struggling Raphinha.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Roberto, Kounde, Pique, Balde; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Fati, Lewandowski, Dembele
Athletic Club
Ander Capa and Jon Morcillo will be on the sidelines for Athletic Club due to their respective injuries. Apart from that, visitors should be able to field all of their key players against Barcelona this weekend.
Ernesto Valverde will likely utilise a 4-4-2 formation, with Unai Simon taking his place in the goal. In the defence, Oscar de Marcos and Inigo Lekue will be deployed as the full-backs. They will be expected to keep Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati quiet while providing some width to the midfield going forward.
🤔 How do you stop @lewy_official?
🗣️ @yerayalvarez4 #BarçaAthletic #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/kckke4GW5a
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) October 21, 2022
At the heart of the Athletic defence, Inigo Martinez, a target for Barcelona, should partner Yeray Alvarez. Both players will have to be at the top of the game in order to contain Robert Lewandowski.
Alex Berenguer and Iker Muniain will start as the wingers, and it will be interesting to see if they can cause problems for Sergi Roberto and Alejandro Balde, both of whom have shown vulnerability while defending. The midfield unit should see Dani Garcia starting alongside Oihan Sancet, with the duo looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park.
Inaki Williams will partner youngster brother Nico Williams in the strike partnership. The duo will look to cause problems for the Barcelona defence with their pace and their movement in behind the back four.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Simon; Marcos, Martinez, Alvarez, Lekue; Berenguer, Garcia, Sancet, Muniain; Inaki Williams, Nico Williams
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won 20 of their last 24 home matches against Athletic Club in all competitions.
- Barcelona have scored at least two goals in 20 of their last 24 home matches against Athletic Club in all competitions.
- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in their last five home matches in La Liga.
- Barcelona have won eight of their last nine matches La Liga.
- Athletic Club have conceded at least once in five of the last six matches across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
Athletic Club have been vulnerable at the back recently and they will be up against one of the best attackers in world football. Lewandowski has scored 11 goals in nine league starts so far this season, bagging a brace twice in his last three appearances for Barcelona. He is our man to watch this weekend, and the Polish international could inflict further misery on the visitors.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-1 Athletic Club
The visitors will look to put their best foot forward but the gulf in quality between the two sides is immense. And Barcelona will fancy their chances of picking up another comprehensive win this weekend.
The home side looked in ominous attacking form in their last outing, and they should be able to put a vulnerable Athletic Club defence to the sword on Sunday. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Xavi Hernandez’s men this weekend.
