Currently on a three game winless streak in La Liga, Athletic Bilbao will hope to reverse their fortunes when they welcome league leaders Barcelona on Sunday. Ernesto Valverde's men have hit a poor patch of form lately, with just one point from their last three league games and were also beaten 1-0 by Osasuna in their Copa del Rey semi-final. Although they have slipped to ninth in the league table, Athletic still are in contention for a potential Europa League spot as they sit just four points behind Villarreal, who sit in sixth and have not had the most consistent season this term.
Yet, their hopes to close that gap could take a hit on Sunday when they face Barcelona. The Blaugrana not only come into this match with a six point lead over the chasing pack, but have also done very well in their travels, with ten wins in their last 12 away La Liga ties. Xavi's side also have won five of their last six ties against Athletic, and have not lost to their upcoming opponents since 2019.
Despite their disappointing showing in Europe - which saw them eliminated early in both the Champions and the Europa League - Barcelona have already won the Spanish Super Cup and could potentially clinch a domestic treble should they go all the way in this year's Copa del Rey. Next up for the Blaugrana is a crunch tie against Real Madrid that will surely decide who will win this year's La Liga title, which some would expect would lead Xavi to rotate his team here.
However, as Barcelona are now playing just once a week and are set to welcome back some key players, Xavi will likely field his strongest starting XI in order to re-establish their nine point lead at the table's summit ahead of El Clasico next week.
Team news: Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao: Unai Simon, Jon Morcillo and Ander Herrera are all still out due to injury, while Oihan Sancet is suspended.
Barcelona: The visitors have been given a huge boost with the returns of Robert Lewandowski from a hamstring injury and Gavi from suspension. Both Pedri and Ousmane Dembele are out with hamstring issues, while Ronald Araujo is suspended following a red card during Barcelona's 1-0 win over Valencia.
Match facts: Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
- Athletic have not won any of their last six games against Barcelona in La Liga (D1 L5)
- Barcelona are undefeated in their last 11 visits to teams from the Basque Country in La Liga (W8 D3)
Broadcast info: Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
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Match details, result and original broadcast info
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