Barcelona welcomes Athletic Club for their first home fixture of the La Liga 2024/25 season at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
BAR vs ATH Match Details
Date: Friday, 23 August 2024
Time: 19:00 (CET), 22:30 (IST)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona
BAR vs ATH Match Preview
Barcelona might have conceded first against Valencia in their La Liga opener last week but responded swiftly to avoid any unwanted storyline in new manager Hansi Flick’s first competitive game in charge of the side. Hugo Duro gave the host the lead in the 44-minute although star striker Robert Lewandowski brought the scores level in first-half stoppage time. The Polish goal machine then slotted the winner from the spot in the second half to give the Catalan giants the first three points of the season. Despite being very early days, Flick’s side will be happy that holders Real Madrid dropped points on the opening weekend giving them an advantage on the points count. Barcelona will want to continue their momentum in the first home game of the season, continuing at Lluís Companys as Camp Nou is still under renovation. Carrying a stellar record of not losing to Athletic Club at home since 2001 should breed confidence in claiming another positive result on Saturday.
Athletic Club remained unbeaten against Barcelona in the past two meetings last season in all competitions. A 0-0 draw in the league back in March after defeating them 4-2 in the Copa del Rey despite losing this fixture 1-0 away in October last year. These results could inspire former Barca boss Ernesto Valverde and his side to snatch a victory in their first away game of the season. The Lions had an excellent campaign last time grabbing a place in the Europa League group stage by finishing fifth in La Liga and they will try to replicate the same in the current season. However, their league opener did not yield the expected result as the side could only draw 1-1 with Getafe at San Mames. The positive aspect for Athletic this season is retaining Euro 2024 star Nico Williams, a transfer target of their opposition this weekend. The team will wish to unleash him to grab the first three points of the season.
BAR vs ATH Predicted Lineups
Barcelona
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Bernal, Casado; Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Athletic Club
Padilla; Gorosabel, Yeray, Vivian, Yuri; Prados, Vesga; I Williams, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta
BAR vs ATH Dream11 Match Prediction
Barcelona will claim another narrow win with the team struggling with injuries and are yet to be at full strength. We predict a 2-1 win for the Catalan giants.
BAR vs ATH Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Robert Lewandowski
Vice-captain Pick: Lamine Yamal
BAR vs ATH Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Simon (Cr - 7.5)
DEF: Kounde (Cr - 8.5), I Martinez (Cr - 8), Berchiche (Cr - 8)
MID: Raphinha (Cr - 8.5), Sanchet (Cr - 8.5), N Williams (Cr - 8.5), Yamal (Cr - 8.5)
FW: I Williams (Cr - 9), Lewandowski (Cr - 9), Guruzeta (Cr - 8.5)
Vice-captain: Lamine Yamal
Captain: Robert Lewandowski
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