It is homecoming night for Barcelona as they welcome Athletic Bilbao to the newly refurbished Camp Nou on Saturday evening for matchday 13 of La Liga.
The Catalan giants finally return to their iconic stadium after more than two years away, marking a historic moment for the club and its supporters.
Match preview
Barcelona will step out at Camp Nou for the first time in 909 days, having spent the entirety of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys while undergoing a €1.5 billion (£1.3bn) reconstruction project.
Progress on the renovation has been slower and more complicated than expected, and even now, the stadium only reopens with a restricted capacity of 45,000 seats, less than half of the expected 105,000 once the project is complete.
Hansi Flick’s side return home sitting second in the table on 28 points, three behind rivals Real Madrid.
With nine wins, one draw, and two losses, Barcelona have scored a league-high 32 goals but also conceded 15 - defensive inconsistency that continues to be a concern.
Despite missing Raphinha and several attacking figures for stretches of the season, Barcelona remain explosive in the final third - their attacking fluency should further improve as more players return to fitness. However, their issues at the back have been difficult to ignore.
Barcelona have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 matches, with their most recent shutout coming in September against Getafe.
Still, Flick’s men have lost just one of their last five in all competitions, and they head into this fixture after a thrilling 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo.
Historically, Barcelona hold a strong upper hand in this fixture having won the last three meetings with Athletic, and across the previous ten encounters, the Basque club have beaten them only twice - both in the Copa del Rey and both after extra time.
Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde pictured on August 17, 2025
Athletic Club, meanwhile, sit seventh in La Liga with five wins, two draws, and five defeats (17 points).
Ernesto Valverde’s men avoided a fourth straight loss last weekend when they edged Real Oviedo 1-0, but overall their league form has been inconsistent.
The Basque side have scored six goals in their last five matches, keeping just one clean sheet during that run.
They are also travelling without away fans, as Barcelona have informed Athletic that visiting supporters will not be permitted due to safety concerns.
With an eight-point gap separating them from the top four, Athletic know they cannot afford many more setbacks if they intend to push for European qualification.
Barcelona La Liga form:
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Barcelona form (all competitions):
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Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:
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Athletic Bilbao form (all competitions):
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Team News
Barcelona's Raphinha on August 31, 2025
Barcelona continue to deal with injuries, though several key players are edging closer to full fitness.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back) and Pedri (hamstring) remain unavailable, while Raphinha has recovered and could make his return later in the match.
Joan Garcia is expected to start in goal after recovering from a knee problem, while Andreas Christensen is also fit again.
Frenkie de Jong is suspended after receiving a second yellow card against Celta Vigo, meaning Marc Casado - now back in training, may replace him if declared fully fit.
Eric Garcia will continue to wear a protective mask following a broken nose, while Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are both fully available for selection.
Athletic Bilbao is also facing several absences, with Inaki Williams and Unai Eguiluz still sidelined.
Maroan Sannadi is still unavailable, and Benat Prados has been ruled out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
Oihan Sancet is a major doubt but has returned to training, while Yeray Alvarez is serving a long-term suspension.
Nico Williams, however, made a goalscoring return against Oviedo and should be available once again after returning to full training.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
J. Garcia; Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Olmo, Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Rashford
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; Berchiche, Laporte, Vivian, Gorosabel; Jauregizar, Ruiz de Galarreta; N. Williams, Sanchez, Berenguer; Guruzeta
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We say: Barcelona 3-1 Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona’s emotional return to Camp Nou should create an intense atmosphere, and Flick’s men will be keen to mark the occasion with a statement performance.
Athletic have struggled for consistency and are missing key players, while Barca’s attacking firepower should be enough to secure all three points in front of their home crowd once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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