Athletic Club are currently occupying fifth spot in the Spanish top flight standings, having collected 49 points from 26 games, just three adrift of the top four, and eight away from Blaugrana, who are sitting at the third position.
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Athletic Bilbao will welcome Barcelona to San Mames for what could be a fascinating La Liga fixture on Sunday. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of booking their place in the Copa del Rey final courtesy of thrashing Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the second leg of their semi-final tie on Thursday, while Blaugrana secured a dominant 4-0 league-win versus Getafe last weekend. The Lions are currently occupying fifth spot in the Spanish top flight standings, having collected 49 points from 26 games, just three adrift of the top four, and eight away from the visitors, who are sitting at the third position.
🎤 Xavi on Lewandowski: “He is playing better, with more intensity, and that is why he was the league’s player of the month in February.” #AthleticBarça pic.twitter.com/3AQRqkMzcH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 2, 2024
Athletic Bilbao were brilliant on Thursday evening at San Mames putting three goals past Atleti without reply, thanks to one effort each from Inaki Williams, Neco Williams and Gorka Guruzeta. Ernetso Valverde’s men prevailed 4-0 on aggregate and will take on Mallorca in the title-decider next month. Meanwhile, when it comes to the La Liga, the Lions have won only one of their last three, which was a 3-2 success versus second-placed Girona on February 19, and it was their 14th league-win of the campaign. Nevertheless, Valverde’s side are seven points clear of sixth-placed Betis in the La Liga Santander, and the team is firmly in the mix for a Champions League finish.
Barcelona, on the other hand, put four goals past Getafe without reply last weekend courtesy of Raphinha’s 20th-minute opener and second-half efforts from Joao Felix, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez. The result extended their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions, winning four matches in the period. The reigning La Liga champions are currently trailing the leaders Real Madrid by eight points, and with 12 rounds of games remaining, a title challenge is very much possible at this stage of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Catalan outfit are unbeaten on the road in the top flight this season, winning seven and drawing five of their 12 matches, boasting the third-best away-record in the division.
Athletic Bilbao probable starting lineup: Simon, De Marcos, Yeray, Paredes, Lekue, Ruiz de Galarreta, Prados, I Williams, Sancet, Berenguer, Guruzeta
Barcelona probable starting lineup: Ter Stegen, Kounde, Araujo, I Martinez, Cancelo, F de Jong, Christensen, Gundogan, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Pedri
Athletic Bilbao
| Opponents | Score |
| Atletico Madrid | 3-0 (W) |
| Betis | 3-1 (L) |
| Girona | 3-2 (W) |
| Almeria | 0-0 (D) |
| Atletico Madrid | 0-1 (W) |
Barcelona
| Opponents | Score |
| Getafe | 4-0 (W) |
| Napoli | 1-1 (D) |
| Celta Vigo | 1-2 (W) |
| Granada CF | 3-3 (D) |
| Alaves | 1-3 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona | 4-2 |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 1-0 |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 0-1 |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 4-0 |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 4-0 |
The La Liga fixture between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will take place at San Mames on Monday at 1:30 am IST.
| Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona | Key Details |
| Date | March 3 (Spain) |
| Venue | San Mames |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 9:00 pm (Sunday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:30 am (Monday) |
The live telecast of the La Liga matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can live stream the game through Jio TV. Meanwhile, those in Spain can watch the match on M+ LA LIGA TV network and Movistar +.
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