Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao: La Liga Team News Match Preview

Barça Face Tough Test in Home Opener

Barcelona Host Athletic Club in La Liga on Saturday Night

Barcelona will be looking to make it back-to-back wins at the start of the new La Liga campaign when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday night.

Xavi's side opened their season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Valencia last weekend, thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski and Ansu Fati.

Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Mallorca in their opening game.

Team News

Barcelona will be without the services of Ousmane Dembele, who is still recovering from a knee injury.

Athletic Bilbao are without Ander Herrera, who is suspended after being sent off in the defeat to Mallorca.

Key Battle

The key battle in this match is likely to be between Barcelona's attack and Athletic Bilbao's defense.

Barcelona have one of the most potent attacks in Europe, with Lewandowski, Fati, and Raphinha all in fine form.

Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, have a solid defense, which has been one of their strengths in recent seasons.

Prediction

Barcelona are the clear favorites to win this match, but Athletic Bilbao are capable of causing an upset.

The match is likely to be close, but Barcelona should have enough quality to edge out Athletic Bilbao.