FC Barcelona VS Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona has been in excellent form, achieving a resounding 5 - goal victory away from home in the new season. Their attacking players are in top - notch condition. Now, they are ready for their first home game of the season, showing a strong desire to grab points. Tactically, Barcelona focuses on high - pressing and ball - possession football. They create offensive opportunities through wing attacks and runs into the channels. However, the team has some setbacks in the midfield. With Frenkie de Jong and Gavi injured, the depth of midfield rotation has been affected. New signing Rodri is expected to make his official debut. Fortunately, most of the front - line attackers are in good health. On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao suffered a home defeat in their first game of the new season, which has dampened their morale. The team's defense has been severely depleted. The starting left - back is suspended, and several center - backs are injured. As a result, they have to cobble together a defense line, which has many flaws in aerial defense and coordinated defense. In attack, Athletic Bilbao mainly relies on the speed of the Williams brothers. But overall, their ability to break through strong defenses is limited. Knowing the gap in strength, they will likely adopt a deep - lying defensive formation on the road, giving up most of the ball possession. They'll look for scoring opportunities through low - block defense and counter - attacks.