FC Barcelona host Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey

Barcelona have a must-win game against Bilbao due to a 2-1 loss in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey tie.

Form

The Catalans have started the year poorly with a loss and a draw. Granted, they were hard matches. Away to both Bilbao and Villarreal in the cup and league respectively. However, Barcelona have the quality in the team to win these kind of matches, so there can be no excuses especially going in to the second leg. Prior to this, they had won their last four matches in all competitions, but that was before the winter break.

Athletic Bilbao have had a mixed start to the calendar year with the win against Barça, and a draw against Alavés in the league. This fits into the general pattern of their season so far with the five games prior to the winter break containing three wins, a draw and a loss.

Squads

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In terms of injuries, Barcelona have none to any key players and are able to field their strongest XI. Jasper Cillessen is back from injury, and Ivan Rakitić has been included in the matchday squad after being rested in the previous two matches. Rafinha, Aleix Vidal and Jérémy Mathieu have all been left out of the eighteen man matchday squad. In contrast, Bilbao have quite a few unavailable players due to various reasons. Raúl Garcia and Ander Iturraspe are both out due to being sent off in the first leg. Los Leones also have injuries to Óscar de Marcos, Yeray Álvarez, Ager Aketxe and Kepa. They are also sweating over the fitness of Iñaki Williams due to illness. This means they have a severely depleted squad which Barcelona should be able to take advantage of.

History

Recent history between the two heavily favours Barcelona as mentioned in the preview for the first leg of this clash. Factoring in the loss in the recent match means that Barcelona have only lost three times to Bilbao in the past thirty-two matches which encompasses the past ten years. At home, Barcelona haven’t lost to Bilbao since 2001. Since then Barça have won fourteen out of eighteen matches at Camp Nou against Bilbao, so they have a high chance of qualifying even though they lost the first leg.

Next: 3 Things We Learned from the Villarreal Match

Playing Style

The intensity of the high press that Bilbao excel at seemed to affect Barcelona in the last match due to certain players taking a while to adapt to their surroundings. This led to them conceding two early goals, and the rest of the match was all about catching up. In this match, they need to start in a smart manner. Don’t take risks, and control possession for the first fifteen minutes, so that every player is comfortable.

Once everyone has settled in the game then Barça can start putting the pressure on and go up the gears, so to speak. The Catalans have plenty of creativity and will create chances, so not conceding an early goal is much more important than scoring one. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lionel Messi starring in this one. His genius means they are likely to unpick the Basque defence, and once they do it wouldn’t be a surprise to see plenty of goals.

There is also the weakened nature of the Bilbao team to consider. They have been decimated by injuries and suspensions for this match which has weakened the spine of the team severely. Therefore, the ability to press high up the pitch will be limited due to the lack of first team players, so they end up reverting to defending deep from an early point in the match. However, they still have the threat of Aritz Aduriz up front, so Barcelona need to be careful. This second leg is the first in a potentially long line of obstacles which Barcelona will have to overcome if they want to have a successful season.

Prediction: FC Barcelona 4-1 Athletic Bilbao

Predicted Lineup

André Gomes instead of Denis Suárez is a possibility.