Match Preview : Barça Vs Athletic Club -

After what feels like just 24 hours, we’re back in action again tonight, Live from the Camp Nou! It’s a quick turn around from our last game against Villarreal, where we put on a very impressive performance. Especially in the first half. And we’ll be hoping to perform like it again tonight when we face another tough test. As at 9pm local time, we’ll be facing up against Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao. It’s a fixture that always gives us problems. Whether that be at home or at the San Mammes. It’s vital we pick up a positive result and keep chase with leaders Real Madrid. There are expected to be a few changes from the lineup 3 days ago, just to keep things fresh. As a few players are fatigued and tired. And as Xavi said yesterday, we need players who are 100% ready to compete in this very tough game.

Quick look at our opponents:

Athletic Club are always a difficult team to come up against. They’re a side that is always floating around the top half of the table. And have a number of key and quality players that can do damage to any team. Of course, it goes without saying, that those players are the Williams brothers and Muniain. People that over the years have caused us a lot of problems. We’re going to have to successfully cancel them out, if we’re to get anything from this game. Valverde returns to the Camp Nou for the first time since he was our coach. He has set Bilbao up into a team that is difficult to break down. Although that’s always been the case with them. They will want to waste time as much as possible. And just blatantly irritate us. That’s what they’re good at. But we have to work past it. Like against Villarreal, use the home crowd to our advantage. It was a very good turnout the other night, considering what had happened in the week before. So we’re going to need the same sort of attendance, to help us get over the line in this one!

Predicted Lineup:

When it comes to the lineup, Xavi said yesterday that there will be a few changes. Althiugh it will be nice to start seeing a fixed starting eleven, it’s understandable why we need to keep rotating, due to how quickly the turnaround between fixtures are. The attack we saw against Villarreal, in my eyes, is our best front three. Ferran looked so good on the right hand side. Ansu was linking up with Lewandowski. Opening up spaces for Lewy and vice versa. The movement between that front three is something special. So it’d be nice to start keeping that more consistent. Dembele or Raphinha can come in on that right hand side, but we need to have either Ansu or Ferran on the left. In every game. We can’t play Dembele and Raphinha both at the same time. And when you consider how well that front three performed the other night, it’s hard to drop any of them.

Pedri to rest?

In midfield, this is where we may see one notable change. And I think that will be Pedri. He looked absolutely shattered against Villarreal. And I was surprised he wasn’t taken off earlier in the second half. He could start and have a rest against Bayern. Seeing as that game is pretty pointless to us now. But there’s no doubt that he deserves a rest. Frenkie has to remain in the pivot position. After a masterclass performance against Villarreal. Xavi said that he understood everything he wanted from him and that he was very impressed by his game. So he has to remain in that position. Against a team like Bilbao, who will be fast on the counter. We need him at the base of that who can keep up. And make us a lot quicker in transition. Busquets won’t allow us to do that. If Pedri is indeed rested then I think Kessie should get the go ahead to start. And then bring on Pablo Torre later in the game.

Bellering ready to start?

Defensively, I think we’ll see one or two changes. Kounde will start once again. But like Pedri, he also should be getting rested too. Problem is, we are in desperate need of him to start because he’s our best defender right now. Alba played really well against Villarreal. And I wouldn’t be against him starting again. But I think we need someone to be able to keep up with the Williams brothers. And the man who can do that, is Balde. He deserves to start this one. Roberto had a good game too the other day. But we need a natural right back there, so Bellerin will probably come in to replace him.