Barcelona vs Athletic Club Match Preview: Barça Returns to the Camp Nou to Host Bilbao After a 2-Year Wait

This Saturday, Barcelona make a long-awaited return to the club’s iconic Camp Nou, where they will face Athletic Club in matchday 12 of the La Liga at 15:15 (GMT).

The last time Barcelona played an official game at the Camp Nou was on May 28, 2023, against Real Mallorca, where Barça won 3-0 thanks to a brace from Ansu Fati and a goal from Gavi. Camp Nou was then closed for renovations to take place.

After delays, the stadium will now reopen ahead of their league tie versus Bilbao, but with a reduced capacity of 45,401, while expansions are on course to be completed.

Hansi Flick’s side is currently in second place, three points behind the leaders and rivals Real Madrid, who take on Elche the following day. Ex-Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde will be hoping to secure his first league win against the club he formerly managed since returning to Bilbao in June 2022.

Head-to-head, Barcelona dominate overall results and last season, they even did a triple over Athletic Club, beating them twice in La Liga and once in the Supercopa semi-final.

The last time Athletic Club won against Barcelona in La Liga was back on 16 August 2019, when Bilbao won 1-0 at their home ground, San Mamés Barria, on the opening day of the 2019/20 season.

But, to find Athletic Club’s last away win against Barcelona in La Liga, you will have to track back to 2001, when Bilbao won 2-1 at the Camp Nou.

Recent Form

La Liga & All-Competitions Form (Last 5 Games):

Barcelona:

Athletic Club:

Both sides' forms have certainly not been the greatest heading into this fixture, with Barcelona picking up nine points from their last five LaLiga games, featuring a frustrating loss to Real Madrid and a staggering 4-1 defeat to Sevilla. Bilbao has also struggled in their last five league games with two wins, one draw and two losses.

Despite this, Barcelona’s home form has been nothing short of spectacular, winning all five of their home games so far in La Liga, scoring 16 and only conceding three, which is impressive.

Hansi Flick’s side has scored 17 goals in their last five games in all competitions, including their 6-1 thrashing against Greek giants Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League.

In La Liga, Barça lead the goal tally with an impressive 32 goals scored so far in this season’s league campaign, with Robert Lewandowski hitting the net the most times, Ferran Torres a close second.

Whilst going forward has not been an issue for Barcelona, it is fair to say that Flick’s side has been defensively inept, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last ten matches in all competitions and conceding 15 goals, which is one of the poorest defensive records in the league currently.

On the other hand, it is a complete flip of struggles with Valverde’s side, consisting of better defensive statistics but problems up top.

Bilbao has conceded only two fewer than Barcelona, but that does put Valverde’s side in the top five La Liga teams for the average number of goals conceded per match.

However, their attacking numbers have not gone unnoticed, with Iñaki and Nico Williams struggling to find form and the club’s top goalscorer last season, Oihan Sancet, also not living up to the standards he set in the 2024/25 campaign.

Notably, Bilbao has collected 17 points so far this season in La Liga (W5, D2, L5), with the majority of those points coming from home games, as Valverde’s team has gained only four points in five away fixtures (W1, D1, L3). So this could be a tough one for the travelling Basque fans.

Potential Lineups

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny, Koundé, Araújo, Cubarsí, Balde, Fermín, Casadó, Yamal, Olmo, Rashford, Lewandowski

Athletic Club (4-2-3-1): Simón, Gorosabel, Vivian, Laporte, Berichiche, de Galarreta, Jauregizar, Berenguer, Sancet, Williams, Guruzeta

Both sides are missing some key players due to injury or suspension, which could pave the way for some interesting selections and risks made by both managers, as even players included in the predicted lineups are in doubt to start.

For the home side, Barcelona are without key midfielder Pedri due to a muscle problem, but he may make the bench after being spotted in training. Gavi and Marc-André ter Stege are both out and unlikely to return till the new year.

Returns for this fixture are on the cards for Marc Casadó, who picked up a minor injury not long ago, but could be risked and forced into the starting eleven due to Frenkie de Jong’s suspension in Barça’s most recent La Liga win against Celta Vigo.

Although featuring in the potential lineup, Lamine Yamal’s spot is in doubt due to a groin injury and pubalgia diagnosis. But after missing both of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers during the international break, Yamal is back training with the squad, so Flick should feel confident to start the star.

Lastly, the home fans could see winger Raphinha return this weekend after facing a hamstring problem that has seen summer signing Marcus Rashford gain more minutes. Rashford has been one of the best signings so far this season, proving all haters and doubters wrong, so it won’t be easy for Raphinha to get back into the starting eleven.

Valverde’s side has been hit with some recent injuries, including both Nico and Iñaki Williams, and the club’s top goalscorer last season, Oihan Sancet.

Iñaki Williams is facing a muscle injury that he picked up against Qarabağ in the first half. Despite Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet’s injuries, they could be expected to start, as it has been reported that both are back in training.

Similar to Casadó’s situation, Valverde may be forced to chuck in Williams and Sancet for this fixture, as Bilbao are lacking strength in depth. Although a huge risk, both key players could be in the starting lineup for Saturday.

Prediction

Barcelona 3-1 Athletic Club

Barcelona’s home form in La Liga is perfect so far, and is Athletic Club the team to cause an upset? Not right now, as solely judging Bilbao’s away form alone is enough to call this one.

Whilst Valverde’s side could test the high line of Flick’s defence, Barça’s attacking output is incredibly ruthless. Also, if Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet start and find themselves in situations where they have to run behind the high line, their muscular injuries may recur, which could provide a problem for Valverde, especially if the injuries take place early on.