Three talking points ahead of Athletic Club vs Barcelona | La Liga GW 38 | OneFootball

Barcelona’s unbeaten run in La Liga in 2025 came to an end last weekend when the Catalans took on Villarreal at Montjuic. Still, in the hangover from their celebrations, the team did not make much of the result at the time.

Now, however, they stare their final game of the season in the eye and the mood in the dressing room will be far more focused on finishing on a high than it was last weekend.

For the game, Hansi Flick’s side travel to San Mames to take on Athletic Club on match day 38, and the game will not be easy in any measure.

Ernesto Valverde’s men have been phenomenal in Spain this season and currently sit fourth in the standings with a UEFA Champions League spot reserved to their name. Moreover, they have won three of their last three games.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Athletic Club vs Barcelona.

The curtains close

The 2024-25 campaign for Barcelona was never one that anyone saw being as successful as it turned out.

Hansi Flick’s arrival, after all, left the club’s project in a grey area at the beginning of the campaign and not many saw the German tactician embracing the club’s culture and connecting with its roots nearly half as well as he has done.

Over the past year, Flick has transformed Barcelona into one of Europe’s best teams and has ended the campaign with three trophies.

In the process, he developed a system that plays with fire in defence but is ruthlessly lethal in attack – one that Barcelona fans will remember for time immemorial.

Now, however, the curtains close on what has been a special season as Barcelona will not play in the FIFA Club World Cup. Their campaign, thus, ends tomorrow with the game in the Basque country and they will look to sign off on a high.

Hitting some side-quests

An all-La Masia XI tomorrow? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Having already secured the league title to their name and celebrated the achievement with fans in Catalonia, Barcelona do not have a whole lot to play for heading into the final game of the season.

Given the team’s situation, Hansi Flick could thus look to hit some special milestones which, at this point, are purely side quests for him.

One such ‘side quest’ that was spoken about earlier this month was possibly deploying an all-La Masia starting lineup – something that would break the internet and is not impossible to do.

Tomorrow’s game, thus, is Flick’s best and final chance to pull off the gamble with minimal risk and it remains to be seen if he is willing to take the fancy call to etch his name in history.

To put up such a lineup, Inaki Pena must start in goal with Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, and Hector Fort all starting in defence.

Gavi, Marc Casado, and Dani Olmo can make up an all-La Masia midfield while Lamine Yamal, Ansu Fati, and Fermin Lopez can complete the forward three.

Unsaid farewells

With the game against Athletic Club officially being Barcelona’s last game before dispersing for the summer break, it will also be the final game in Blaugrana colours for several players whose identities are still not known.

After all, there are some big names who could leave the club in the coming months and thus not see a day under Hansi Flick after the hiatus. It will, thus, be an emotional night for all such players who anticipate to leave.

The likes of Inaki Pena, Pablo Torre, and Ansu Fati are all expected to leave the club in the summer and will certainly play their final games as Barcelona players on the night.

Others like Wojciech Szczesny and Andreas Christensen, meanwhile, will take to the field still uncertain of their future.

The manager will thus look to give such departing players a chance to say goodbye to the club and the team during the game in the Basque country tomorrow.

It may well not be a home game for Barcelona, but playing a final time for the club before departing is indeed an emotional affair regardless of the venue, the audience or the result.