LA LIGA PREVIEW: ATHLETIC CLUB VS BARCELONA

The Catalans travel to Basque country in search for another 3 points.

Barça enjoyed a rare week off in-between games after their victory over Valencia, but are back in action tonight, looking to recover their nine point lead in La Liga after Los Blancos saw off Espanyol at the Bernabeu.

Suffering only two defeats in the league after 24 games, Xavi's men have been imperious in La Liga and are currently favorites to win the title this season. Every game is a final now, and it starts tonight at San Mames.

The home side had a great start to the season but have trailed off recently, winning just one of their last five games in all competitions which have seen them drop to ninth position.

They remain four points behind sixth placed Villarreal however, so a finish in a European spot isn't far from reality. Can they get anything out of this fixture though?

INTERESTING STATS

- Barcelona have won 29 games out of the 45 encounters between the two teams. They have only lost seven times.

- Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oihan Sancet has scored eight goals in 22 league starts this season.

- Striker Gorka Guruzeta who has started just seven league games this season has five goals to his name.

- Robert Lewandowski is leading the race for the La Liga golden boot and has 20 goal contributions in 19 league starts for Barcelona this season.

- Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele has ten goal contributions in 14 league starts in the ongoing season.

- In the last four years, Athletic have knocked Barça out of the Copa del Rey twice and also the Spanish Super Cup once. But despite those slips in knockout competitions, the Catalans have remained solid in the league, losing just one of their last 18 meetings with the Basques.

Last five meetings 

23/10/22 (LIGA) Barça 4-0 Athletic

27/02/22 (LIGA) Barça 4-0 Athletic

20/01/22 (COPA DEL REY) Athletic 3-2 Barça

21/08/21 (LIGA): Athletic 1-1 Barça

17/04/21 (COPA DEL REY): Athletic 0-4 Barça

TEAM NEWS

Athletic Club

Oihan Sancet, the Basque outfit's top scorer this season, will miss the game after being sent off in Vallecas last week. Unai Simon, Iñigo Lekue, Jon Morcillo and Ander Herrera are all sidelined due to injuries. Barça target Iñigo Martinez has recovered from his foot injury and will want to give a big performance to hopefully convince Alemany and co.

Julen Agirrezabala will continue to deputize in goal. The back four will likely comprise of Oscar De Marcos,  Inigo Martinez, Yeray Alvarez, Yuri Berchiche. 

Mikel Vesga and Dani Garcia will look to start as the double pivots in front of the defence. Nico Williams, Iker Muniain, and Alex Berenguer will team up in the midfield behind their star striker Inaki Williams. The Williams brothers will be key to Athletic Club's chances of getting anything from this game.

Barcelona 

Pedri and Ousmane Dembele remain unavailable for selection, but are edging closer to a return. Ronald Araujo was sent off last weekend and won't be available until the Clasico. Robert Lewandowski has recovered from his hamstring problems and is in the squad again. Gavi is available after returning from suspension.

The rest of the team picks itself. TerStegen, Balde, Christensen, Koundé will retain their spots. After a brazen performance at the Bernabeu, Marcos Alonso might get the nod over Eric Garcia to complete the backline.

Sergio Busquets, Frank Kessie, Raphinha and Ferran Torres are all at risk of suspension and will have to tread carefully in San Mames, which might see Sergi Roberto get a nod in Midfield. Ansu Fati was unfortunately not given enough time to get into rhythm against Valencia but will likely get the nod over Torres in attack.

Where are Athletic Club vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Bilbao, Spain

Stadium: San Mames

Date: Sunday 12 March

Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano

San Mames has become a sort of fortress for the home side, but when the big boys come to town, anything can happen, and it doesn't get bigger than Barcelona right now. 

After seeing Los Blancos cut the gap to Six points, Xavi's men will be poised to grab all three points ahead of the potential title decider next weekend.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS VALENCIA

The Catalans once again have the chance to go 10 points clear, this time likely temporarily though.

Following the impressive win at the Bernabeu a few days ago, the league leaders turn their attention back to La Liga as they host a struggling Valencia side. Xavi showed his pragmatism in the latest edition of El Clasico, adapting to the current condition of the squad to grind out a crucial win, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Semis, which has been the norm for Barcelona this season anyways. That win should give them the confidence to continue their winning run after experiencing a bit of a rough patch recently.

On any other day, Valencia would fancy their chances at the Camp Nou, following their 1-0 win over top 4 contenders Real Sociedad, but their current status, coupled with that of their hosts, makes this an uphill battle for them. Any side fighting to stay up should never be taken for granted however, especially at this moment in the season when anyone can be punished. We expect them to keep fighting, but what are their chances of getting anything out of this game?

INTERESTING STATS

- Barcelona have not lost in their last six La Liga home games against Valencia

 - Barcelona are undefeated in 33 of their last 37 matches against Valencia in all competitions.

- Barcelona have scored at least two goals in five of their last six home matches against Valencia in all competitions.

- Valencia are without a clean sheet in their last five games in this fixture.

- Barcelona are are yet to taste defeat at home in La Liga this season.

- Valencia have picked up just six points on the road in the league this season.

Last five meetings

29/10/22 Valencia 0-1 Barça (Lewandowski)

20/02/22 (LIGA) Valencia 1-4 Barça (Aubameyang 2, F de Jong, Pedri)

17/9/21 (LIGA) Barça 3 (Ansu Fati, Memphis, Coutinho) Valencia 1

2/5/21 (LIGA) Valencia 2-3 Barça (Messi 2, Griezmann)

19/12/20 (LIGA) Barça 2 (Messi, Araujo) Valencia 2

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

Xavi still remains short of attacking options due to the absence of Lewandowski and Dembele, hence his reason for lifting a thing or two out of the Diego Simeone playbook at the Bernabeu. The good thing is, both are close to a return, just like Pedri, another player who has been sorely missed. Andreas Christensen has shaken off his ankle discomfort and is back in contention. Gavi and Xavi will miss this clash due to accumulation of yellow cards.

We expect a similar lineup to the Clasico due to the options available. Christensen should replace Alonso in the defense and Ansu Fati should replace Gavi up front. The midfield trio of Busquets, DeJong and Kessie performed admirably on Thursday and will feature once more, although Sergi Roberto could replace the ivorian.

Valencia

As for Los Che, Gabriel Paulista, Marcos de Sousa, Jose Gaya, Edinson Cavani, Nico Gonzalez and Jaume Domenech will miss the contest through injury.

Paulista picked up a leg problem against Real Sociedad last time out, which is likely to lead to Eray Comert coming into the middle of the defence.

Hugo Duro and Samuel Lino could be joined by Samu Castillejo in the final third of the field, while Hugo Guillamon is likely to feature in central midfield on Sunday afternoon.

Where and when are Barcelona vs Valencia playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Camp Nou

Date: Sunday 5 March

Kick-off Time: 15:15 GMT / 10:15 ET / 07:15 PT, 16:15 🇳🇬

Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas

Barcelona know their slip up against Almeria was more than a warning about complacency, and they'll look to avoid that this weekend.

Both teams come into this game on the back of a morale boosting 1-0 win, which could make for a tricky contest, but the Catalans, as always, will remain favored in this tie.