Athletic Club vs Barcelona preview
The news of Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool gathered so much attention that it eclipsed Xavi’s departure from Barcelona, which was announced 24 hours after the former news, to a large extent. This can be down to Xavi’s underwhelming achievement at the club. However, with his time coming to an end, the players would want to give him a proper send-off by winning a trophy or two. The main focus will be on La Liga, where the Blaugrana are in third place and trail league leaders Real Madrid by eight points.
To make matters more difficult, their next trip comes on the road against Athletic Club Bilbao, one of the most formidable opponents in the entire league. While Xavi’s men are chasing the title, their opponents are also in an intense race for the Champions League places.
This season, Barcelona have been ravaged by injuries, which is why they find themselves losing so much ground to other teams in the league. However, they have recovered their form by winning four and drawing one of their last five games. Robert Lewandowski has been the major reason for this resurgence, scoring four goals and providing one assist during this run of games.
Their latest game saw them thrash Getafe 4-0, in which youngster Fermin Lopez also scored his second La Liga goal. While Lewandowski is scoring goals, the best players creatively are Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan, who top the league in Expected Threats (xT) and chances created, respectively.
Meanwhile, Athletic Club have lost their incredible momentum after drawing two and losing one of their previous five games. However, they have Ernesto Valverde, a former Barcelona manager, in the dugout who exploits the defending champions’ weaknesses.
Athletic Club have hugely relied on the attacking duo of Inaki Williams and Gorka Guruzeta, who have combined for 19 goals. Other top performers have been Nico Williams (the top assist maker in the team), Oihan Sancet, and Yeray Alvarez.
Athletic Club vs Barcelona predicted lineups
Athletic Club lineup
One of the major worries for Valverde will be the suspension of his left-winger Nico Williams and centre-back Dani Vivian. Both these men have been crucial to the team, and it will be a tall order for the team to face Barcelona without them. On top of that, left-back Yuri Berchiche is also an injury concern for the clash but is expected to be fit in time for the clash. In the absence of Willimas, Alex Berenguer will take his place on the…
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