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The two eliminated Copa del Rey teams meet in La Liga, with Barcelona travelling to the Basque Country to face Athletic Club. Barça have taken back their spot at the summit of the league and now look to build on their position from the chasing Madridistas.
Athletic’s season now hinges on managing to gatecrash the European qualification positions in La Liga. A Champions League return already looks well out of grasp, 16 points away, but a Europa or Europa Conference position could be achieved if they maintain the good league results.
These two are the two most-form teams in La Liga over the last five games, making this an exciting tie between two teams wanting the points.
Athletic Club v Barcelona key information
• Date: Saturday, March 7th
• Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT
• Venue: Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao
• TV channels: Premier Sports (UK)
• Odds: ATH (15/4) - DRAW (7/2) - FCB (8/13)
Athletic Club team news
Nico Williams was Barcelona’s top target last summer before the young Spaniard committed his future to Athletic Club, signing a 10-year contract. Sadly, he will not get to remind the Catalonians what they are missing as he is out of the tie with a groin injury that has seen him miss the last four games.
Along with Williams, Athletic will be missing Benat Prados, Unai Egiluz and Maroan Sannadi, who are all long-term injuries.
One player Barca needs to keep an eye on is Gorka Guruzeta. The forward has scored four of Athletic Club's last six La Liga goals at the San Mames, with a brace last time out against Elche.
Athletic Club predicted lineup v Barcelona, (4-2-3–1)
Coach: Ernesto Valverde
Unai Simon; Berchiche, Vivian, Laporte, Boiro; Rego, Ruiz de Galarreta; Inaki Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Guruzeta
Barcelona team news
Robert Lewandowski is back in training after fracturing his eye socket. He missed the Copa del Rey tie against Atletico Madrid but could be back for this match. All the other absentees from the midweek cup tie remain, though, with Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong.
Jules Kounde picked up an injury 13 minutes into that Copa del Rey tie and was replaced by Alejandro Balde. Later in the game, Balde himself had to be replaced after he was also struck down by injury.
Midfield maestro Gavi may make his much-heralded return in this game, having been back in training for the last couple of weeks. His return will no doubt galvanise the team and the fans as we head towards the end of the season.
Barcelona predicted lineup v Athletic Club, (4-3-3)
Coach: Hansi Flick
Joan Garcia; Cancelo, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Araujo; Bernal, Pedri, Fermin; Yamal, F Torres, Raphinha
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Barcelona’s trip to Bilbao will be shown on Premier Sports in the UK. To watch, you need to have a Premier Sports subscription, and then the match can be streamed online or on Sky.
Head-to-Head record
Barcelona are on a five-game win streak against Athletic Club in all competitions. In fact, they have not lost any of their last 12 games against Athletic in La Liga (D2, W10), since a 1-0 win for the Basques in August 2019. Athletic Club did pick up a victory in a Copa del Rey quarterfinal at the San Mames in 2024. It did, however, require extra time.
Athletic are unbeaten in their last six league games, only losing twice to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey in that period. Barca have won their last three in all competitions, after losing two in a row.
Odds for Athletic Club v Barcelona
Barca are the favourites to win at bet365, coming in at 8/13. A draw is at 7/2, with an Athletic win at 15/4.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.