FC Barcelona VS Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona has been in excellent form, achieving a resounding 5 - 0 victory away from home in the new season. Their attacking players are in top - notch condition, and now they are set to have their first home game of the season, showing a strong desire to grab points. Tactically, Barcelona focuses on high - pressing and ball - control. They create offensive opportunities through wing attacks and runs into the channels. However, they face some challenges 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 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 defensive line, which has many loopholes 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 between the two sides, they will likely adopt a deep - lying defensive formation away from home, giving up most of the ball possession. They will look for scoring opportunities through counter - attacks and low - block defenses.