The hosts were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw away to Granada in their last outing before the international break, while Lions are heading into the match on the back of a comprehensive 3-0 victory against struggling Almeria on October 7.
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Barcelona will be bidding to get back to winning ways in the La Liga when they play host to Athletic Bilbao at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday night. The hosts were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw away to Granada in their last outing before the international break, while Lions are heading into the match on the back of a comprehensive 3-0 victory against struggling Almeria on October 7. The Catalan outfit are currently occupying fourth spot in the Spanish top flight standings, having collected 21 points from their first nine league games, just four points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, who have played a game more. The visitors, meanwhile, are sitting two places behind Blaugrana, separated just four points.
𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄#𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐂̧𝐀𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 pic.twitter.com/KJoJG7nvVi
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 22, 2023
Barcelona have won six and drawn three of their opening nine La Liga games, while they have also tasted success in their two Champions League group stage matches. Xavi’s side ended the month of September with a narrow 1-0 league-win over Sevilla thanks to Sergio Ramos’ own goal 14 minutes from time. Four days later, the Catalan outfit edged past Porto in the Champions League courtesy of Ferran Torres’ lone goal on the stroke of half-time. However, the defending La Liga champions couldn’t go into the international break on the back of a victory as they were forced to share the spoils at Granada. Xavi’s men had to fight back from 2-0 down to earn a point at Los Carmenes thanks to Lamine Yamal’s effort on the stroke of half-time and Sergio Roberto’s 85th-minute equaliser. Although it was their third draw of the campaign, overall it has been a positive start by Xavi’s men and they will be desperate to close the gap on leaders Real Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, have also made a decent start to their 2023-24 La Liga season, recording five wins, two draws and two defeats from their nine league matches so far. Although Ernesto Valverde’s men suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss away to Real Sociedad in the Basque derby on September 30, they managed to bounce back with a thumping 3-0 victory over Almeria before the international break. Gorka Guruzeta, Dani Garcia and Oihan Sancet netted for the Lions against Rojiblancos. It was a dominant performance from Valverde’s men at San Mames Barria as they attempted 23 shots with nine of them on target, compared to just a solitary effort on target by the visitors.
Barcelona probable starting lineup: Ter Stegen, Cancelo, Christensen, Araujo, Balde, Gundogan, Romeu, Gavi, Yamal, F Torres, Felix
Athletic Bilbao probable starting lineup: Simon, De Marcos, Paredes, Vivian, Berchiche, Herrera, D Garcia, I Williams, Sancet, Muniain, Guruzeta
Barcelona
| Opponents | Score |
| Granada | 2-2 (D) |
| FC Porto | 0-1 (W) |
| Sevilla | 1-0 (W) |
| Mallorca | 2-2 (D) |
| Celta Vigo | 3-2 (W) |
Athletic Bilbao
| Opponents | Score |
| Almeria | 3-0 (W) |
| Real Sociedad | 3-0 (L) |
| Getafe | 2-2 (D) |
| Alaves | 0-2 (W) |
| Cadiz | 3-0 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 0-1 |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 4-0 |
| Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao | 4-0 |
| Athletic Bilbao beat Barcelona | 3-2 |
| Athletic Bilbao draw Barcelona | 1-1 |
The La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao will take place at Estadio olimpic lluis Companys on Monday at 12:30 am IST.
| Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao | Key Details |
| Date | October 22 (Spain) |
| Venue | Estadio olimpic lluis Companys |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 9:00 pm (Sunday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 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 also live stream the game through Jio TV. Meanwhile, those in Spain can watch the match on Movistar + and DAZN network.
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