Overview
Athletic Bilbao entered the confrontation with Barcelona after conceding a 0-1 defeat to Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals. This result caused coach Ernesto Valverde's team to lose 0-2 overall and stop in the semi-finals.
After being eliminated from the cup arena, Athletic Bilbao will focus all their attention on La Liga for the rest of the season. Previously, they had a fairly impressive streak of form when they won 10 points in the last 4 matches, with victories against Levante, Real Oviedo and Elche, and a draw against Rayo Vallecano.
Currently, Bilbao is ranked ninth in the La Liga standings, 5 points behind Celta Vigo's sixth place and 16 points away from the top 4. With this gap, the possibility of the "Lions" returning to the Champions League in the 2026-2027 season is quite far away.
However, Bilbao's home record this season is still quite positive as they won 23 points after 13 matches at San Mames. The upcoming challenge will be very big when they have to welcome Barcelona - the team with the second best away record in La Liga in the 2025-2026 season, despite losing 4 away matches.
Head-to-head statistics also do not favor Bilbao. They have lost all five of their last encounters with Barcelona in all competitions, including a heavy 0-5 defeat in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals in January 2026.
Barcelona has not even lost to Bilbao since losing 2-4 in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in January 2024, while the last time the Catalan team lost to this opponent in La Liga was in August 2019, with a score of 0-1 at San Mames.
Coach Hansi Flick's team also just had a busy week at Copa del Rey. Despite winning 3-0 against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the semi-finals, they were still eliminated due to a 0-4 defeat in the first leg in Madrid.
In La Liga, Barcelona quickly regained their form when defeating Villarreal and Levante after a 1-2 stumble against Girona on February 16.
Currently, the Catalan team is leading the rankings with a 4-point gap from Real Madrid. The Royal team will play against Celta Vigo, and the result of that match may directly affect the championship race.
Barcelona is showing stable form when winning 21 out of 26 matches in La Liga this season. Their attack continues to be a big mainstay with 71 goals - the best record in the league to date.
Personnel situation
Athletic Bilbao will continue to be missing a series of key players in the match against Barcelona when Yeray Alvarez is suspended, while Nico Williams (arms), Benat Prados (knee), Unai Egiluz (knee) and Maroan Sannadi (knee) have not recovered from injuries.
However, the 0-1 defeat to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-finals did not cause Ernesto Valverde's team to have any new injuries. Therefore, a similar squad framework is likely to continue to be used.
On Barcelona's side, Robert Lewandowski has returned to training after injury and may be able to participate in the away match at San Mames.
However, Hansi Flick's team still lacks many important pillars. Andreas Christensen (knee), Jules Kounde (hamstring), Alejandro Balde (hamstring), Frenkie de Jong (hamstring) and Gavi (knee) are all unable to play.
In midfield, young talent Marc Bernal is making a strong impression and is likely to continue to be given a starting spot. Meanwhile, Eric Garcia may start in the center of the defense.
Expected lineup:
Athletic Bilbao: Simon, Vivian, Paredes, Laporte, Boiro, Rego, Ruiz de Galarreta, I. Williams, Sancet, Berenguer, Guruzeta.
J. Garcia, Cancelo, Cubarsi, E. Garcia, Martin, Bernal, Pedri, Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha, F. Torres.
The match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona takes place at 3:00 AM on March 8th (Vietnam time).
