Barcelona’s Danish forward Martin Braithwaite (3L) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the Spanish League football match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on August 15, 2021. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP) (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona go on the road for the first time this season to face Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona look to follow up a good performance in the opener against Real Sociedad when they take on another Basque side in Athletic Bilbao.
In what is certain to be a tough match-up the Catalans are set to face a tough away match in the new San Mamés.
The squad list is the same one as the league opener as Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanić and Alex Collado have once again been excluded.
Barcelona did the double over Bilbao, winning 3-2 away and 1-0 at the Camp Nou. In the first game, Lionel Messi proved the hero as he scored twice. He had a similar performance in the 4-0 win in the final of the Copa del Rey. Obviously, they won’t be able to count on the Argentinian this time around.
Barcelona struggled last season on the road. They made too many mistakes late in the game, giving up silly goals that ended up costing them points in the title race.
Athletic Bilbao has always played them tough and this will be no exception. They will be motivated for this match after only managing a scoreless draw against Elche. The home crowd are certainly going to play their part to create a less than welcoming environment for the visitors.
With a few key injuries, manager Ronald Koeman is not likely to deviate too much from the starting line-up he set out versus La Real.
