Barcelona XI vs Athletic Club – Predicted lineup and team news

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The Football Faithful

·7 Maret 2026

Barcelona XI vs Athletic Club – Predicted lineup and team news

Barcelona travel to San Mames on Saturday to take on Athletic Club in La Liga.

Barcelona have reacted well after a small wobble in their recent schedule. They were thrashed 4–0 by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey on 12 February and then slipped to a 2–1 league defeat at Girona on 16 February.

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Since that double setback, they have hit back with a 3–0 home win over Levante on 22 February, a 4–1 victory against Villarreal on 28 February, and a 3–0 Copa del Rey success over Atletico Madrid at home on 3 March.

In La Liga, Barcelona sit top of the 2025/26 standings with 64 points from 26 matches. The Catalans hold a one‑point advantage over Real Madrid and with an extra game in hand.

Their domestic record reads 21 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, with 71 goals scored and 26 conceded, giving them a goal difference of +45.

Barcelona team news

Injuries remain a major concern for Hansi Flick. Gavi (knee), Andreas Christensen (knee), Alejandro Balde (thigh), Frenkie de Jong (hamstring) and Jules Kounde (thigh) are all unavailable and will miss the trip to Bilbao.

Up front, Robert Lewandowski suffered a fracture to his left eye socket in a recent LaLiga clash with Villarreal, but he has since returned to training and could feature in some capacity against Athletic Club.

With Kounde and Balde sidelined, Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin are likely to operate in the full‑back or wing‑back roles, while Ronald Araujo is set to start in central defence, although Joao Cancelo offers another option for Flick.