Barcelona will look to maintain their unbeaten run when they host fifth-placed Athletic Club who have had a decent start to the 2023/24 season.
Barcelona are yet to suffer a defeat in the 2023/w24 season and they will look to continue their unbeaten run when they face Athletic Club. The Catalan giants have featured in 11 matches in all competitions, and they have won eight out of those fixtures. Meanwhile, the visitors have featured in a total of nine games and they have come out on top on five occasions.
The Catalan giants might not have lost a game in the league so far but they are still third on the points table, three points behind league leaders Real Madrid. They have played out three draws in their first nine games, which is something Xavi would love to work on.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 2-2 draw against Granada that took place before the international break. Despite a dominant display, they failed to get the right result and will look to produce a much better performance this time around.
The visitors are currently fifth on the points table with 17 points in their nine outings. Apart from the two defeats, they have been doing quite well overall. Ernesto Valverde has done a great job so far this season and he will look to carry on in similar fashion. But, this fixture against Barcelona will be a tough test for his team.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of an easy 3-0 win over Almeria. They dominated the ball, they created more chances and ended up winning in the end. They will look for a similar performance but it is unlikely as they won’t see much of the ball and will have to play on the counter.
It is going to hard-fought battle between two quality Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Barcelona will be without the services of Sergi Roberto, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri. Meanwhile, there were doubts regarding the availability of Ilkay Gundogan, Ronald Araujo, Lamine Yamal, and Alejandro Balde. All four of them are fit to start as confirmed by their manager Xavi.
𝙏𝙊𝙋 𝙂𝙊𝘼𝙇𝙎 🆚 𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙇𝙀𝙏𝙄𝘾 𝘾𝙇𝙐𝘽@andresiniesta8 forever ∞#BarçaAthletic pic.twitter.com/ueFADk1brC
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 21, 2023
The Catalan manager will stick with the 4-3-3 formation, where Marc-Andre ter Stegen will take charge in goal. Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde will be the full-backs. They will look to support Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo who could start in the heart of the defence.
Oriol Romeu will return to the starting XI, and he will have the support of Ilkay Gundogan and Gavi. The trio will look to control the possession of the ball and dictate the pace of this game. Lamine Yamal and Joao Felix will take care of the wide areas in attack. And, in the absence of Lewandowski, Ferran Torres will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Cancelo, Christensen, Araujo, Balde; Gundogan, Romeu, Gavi; Yamal, Ferran Torres, Felix
Athletic Club
The visitors will be without the services of Nico Williams, Yeray Alvarez, Mikel Vesga, Peru Nolaskoain and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta for this fixture.
⚔️ "We're eager to compete. This is an opportunity to break a bad run in Barcelona and get three points on the road."
🎙️ Ernesto Valverde previews tomorrow's #BarçaAthletic 👇#AthleticClub 🦁
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) October 21, 2023
Ernesto Valverde is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Unai Simon will be in goal. Oscar de Marcos and Yuri Berchiche will be the full-backs for this fixture. In the heart of the defence, Aitor Paredes will pair up with Dani Vivian.
The back line will have the tough task of stopping a star-studded attack. But, they will have the support of Ander Herrera and Dani García who will pair up in the centre of the park. The duo will form the double pivot in front of the defence and they are expected to have a lot of defensive duty for this fixture in particular.
Oihan Sancet will be the creator-in-chief as he will start as the attacking midfielder. Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain will feature on the flanks. They will look to provide width to their attacks. Meanwhile, Gorka Guruzeta will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Simon; De Marcos, Paredes, Vivian, Berchiche; Herrera, D Garcia; I Williams, Sancet, Muniain; Guruzeta
Key Stats
- In the last 65 outings between Barcelona and Athletic Club, the home team have won 42 times, while the visitors only have ten wins.
- The Catalan giants are unbeaten in their last seven outings against the visitors in the league.
- Barcelona have picked up 55 points in their last 19 home games against Athletic Club.
- The visitors have only kept a clean sheet on three out of their last 51 games against Xavi’s team.
- The home team have won their last three outings against Athletic Club.
Player to Watch
Joao Felix
Felix has revived his career in some fashion since making the move to Barcelona. And, he has been doing wonders for both club and country of late. The 23-year-old international is in red-hot form and he could end up being the difference between the two teams.
In his eight outings for his club this season, the Portuguese international has featured in a total of eight matches and he has contributed towards six goals. He has had a sensational impact and a similar sort of performance is expected from him.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Club
Barcelona have been in sensational form since the start of the new season. They have not lost yet and will look to maintain that streak at all costs. However, they are coming up against a quality outfit in Athletic Club.
The visitors have done great so far this season and won’t let the Catalan giants wake away with an easy win. It is going to be a hard-fought encounter between two quality teams where Barcelona might have the edge. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
