listen to this article5 minutes
information
Who: Atterick Bilbao vs Barcelona
Content: La Liga
Location: San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain
Date and time: Saturday, March 7th, 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 17:00 GMT.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is confident his team will not be crippled by injuries as they prepare for Saturday’s away trip to Athletic Bilbao as they aim to restore a four-point gap over La Liga leaders Real Madrid.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
On Friday, their fierce rivals beat Celta Vigo 2-1 after Federico Valverde’s stoppage-time goal closed the gap.
For Barcelona, the game in Bilbao will be a close one and a key moment as they push their rivals at arm’s length.
Al Jazeera Sports has detailed coverage of the match.
Barcelona avoid injured list ahead of Bilbao trip
Barca suffered injuries to defenders Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde during Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, but the result was not enough to overturn a four-goal deficit from the first leg.
Midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Gabi also remain absent, but striker Robert Lewandowski will be fit to face Athletic.
“These things happen, and I’m not happy about it,” Flick told reporters Friday. “We have to talk about what can be improved. That’s always my responsibility. It’s not the medical staff or the physical therapist’s responsibility. It’s my responsibility.”
“We want to talk to the doctors, physiotherapists and technical staff and think about how we can improve. This is about team management, which is not fun, especially in such important moments. But we are optimistic. This will give the other players a chance to show how good they are.”
Real suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat at home to Getafe on Monday, leaving them four points behind leaders Barça after 26 games. Athletic sits in number 9.
“It’s still a long time until the end of May. There are many games left. We had two more injuries on Tuesday… We have to deal with it and move forward. We have to be optimistic about things that cannot be changed,” Flick said.
Although Barça did not reach the Copa del Rey final, Flick said he received a lot of encouragement from Barça’s performance.
“In the end it wasn’t enough. We have to accept that. But my feeling is that we are at a very high level and that should give us confidence,” added the German.
Athletic Bilbao have similar team news issues
Yelai Álvarez is suspended, Nico Williams, Benat Prados, Unai Eguils and Malone Sanadi are injured.
There were no further injuries to the Bilbao side that lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad, but it remains to be seen whether coach Valverde will decide to change his team based on this result.
What happened the last time Athletic Bilbao played against Barcelona?
Barcelona defeated Bilbao 5-0 in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals in January.
Rafinha scored two goals, helping the Catalan club reach the final.
What happened in the last league match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona?
It’s been an equally tough story for Bilbao in this season’s La Liga comeback, as it was in December when they lost 4-0 to Barcelona.
Barça took advantage of this opportunity with Ferran Torres scoring a double.
When was the last time Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona?
The last time the Bilbao club won against Barça was seven games ago, 4-2 in the Copa del Rey in January 2024.
The match required extra time and ended regular time 2-2, with goals from Inaki Williams and Nico Williams pushing Bilbao past.
Statistics Attack – Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
Barcelona remain unbeaten in 12 La Liga matches against Bilbao, with their last defeat coming against San Mamés in 2019.
Barça won 10 of their next matches, scoring 26 goals and conceding just 5.
Bilbao have scored just one goal in their last eight games against Barcelona in La Liga.
direct confrontation
Matches played: 246 Barcelona wins: 126 Athletic Bilbao wins: 80 Draws: 40
Athletic Bilbao team predictions
Simon. Vivian, Paredes, Laporte, Boirot. Lego, Luis de Galareta. I Williams, Sunset, Berengar. Grzeta
Barcelona predicted team
J. Garcia. Cancelo, Kvarsi, E. Garcia, Martin. Bernal, Pedri. Yamal, Fermin, Rafinha. F. Torres
Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona form guide
Athletic Bilbao’s last 5 matches (all competitions – latest results last):
LWWDL Barcelona’s last 5 matches (all competitions – latest results last):
LLWWW
