Match Pack: Athletic Club vs FC Barcelona (LaLiga MD25)
Match Pack: Athletic Club vs FC Barcelona (LaLiga MD25)
Los Leones welcome the LaLiga leaders to San Mames as Ernesto Valverde's charges look to keep pace with the hunt for Europe
Big night at The Cathedral as FC Barcelona visit Athletic Club. Los Rojiblancos have gone three games without a win and need a victory to make sure they don't lose touch with the race for European qualification.
Ernesto Valverde's charges will go head-to-head with LaLiga leaders Barça. Xavi's side are nine pointc clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table and have also reached the semi-finals of the Copa.
This is a true LaLiga classic. Along with Real Madrid, Athletic and FC Barcelona are the only teams to have never played outside the top-flight.
Match Info
Athletic Club vs FC Barcelona (Matchday 25)
San Mames (Bilbao)
LaLiga Santander 22/23
Sunday March 12, 21:00 CET
How to Watch
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Team News
Valverde has named a 20-man squad for the clash
In terms of absences,Oihan Sancet is serving a ban for the red he received last week,while Unai Simón, Ander Herrera, Iñigo Lekue and Jon Morcillo are in the treatment room. However, Yeray is back in the squad after recovering from an injury.
Valverde's Comments
Catch up with everything the gaffer had to say ahead of the clash
The Opponents
Head coach: Xavi Hernández
The iconic central midfielder, who made 505 LaLiga appearances for the club as a player, took over as manager back in November 2021.
Out of 50 league matches in charge at the Blaugrana, he has recorded 37 wins, seven draws and six losses.
Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski
One of the best strikers of his generation, the Polish forward's name has become synonymous with goals over the last 15 years.
Lewandowski first came to national prominence at Lech Poznan. He then came to worldwide attention under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, where he scored a total of 103 goals in four seasons.
He then left Dortmund for Bayern Munich. At Bayern, Lewandowski broke almost every record in the book while winning eight Bundesliga titles, three DFB-Pokal Cups and a Champions League during an eight-year stint.
He joined FC Barcelona on a free at the beginning of this season and is currently the top goalscorer in LaLiga with 15 goals in 20 matches.
Recent form (LaLiga): WWWDW
Barça have been virtually unbeatable all season, only losing twice so far in 2022/23 - those defeats coming against UD Almería a couple of weeks ago and Real Madrid back in October.
Previous Meetings
The first LaLiga clash between Athletic and the Blaugrana dates back to the competition's founding season in 1929. This fixture has taken place every single season since, a whopping 183 times. The Lions' LaLiga record against Barça stands at: 60 wins, 31 draws and 92 losses.
In terms of games played at San Mamés, the Zurigorri have registered 43 wins, 21 draws and 27 defeats in 91 matches.
The last five meetings in Bilbao have produced one win, two draws and two defeats for Los Leones.
Last season's fixture at San Mames was an emotional one, with Athleticzales returning to the stadium for the first time in 500 days due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Centre-back Iñigo Martínez gave Los Rojiblancos the lead with a 50-minute header before Memphis Depay rescued a point for FC Barcelona in the 75th minute.