FC Barcelona continue their journey in LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25 this Saturday, August 17 against Athletic Club at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The match against the team managed by Ernesto Valverse will be the official debut of the squad led by Hansi Flick before the Catalan fans, who will arrive at Montjuïc with the excitement generated by the promising debut of the culés against Valencia at Mestalla.

The match of the blaugranas against the Che team left good feelings in the Barcelona fans, who saw how their team, led by a stellar Robert Lewandowski, managed to come back from an adverse scoreline with character and hierarchy. However, for the match corresponding to the second day of the local championship, Flick will be without Ilkay Gündogan, whose return to Manchester City has already been made official, and there are doubts about the presence of Andreas Christensen and Dani Olmo, the first due to injury and the second because, as of yet, he has not been registered. Below is our prediction of the lineups for the duel:

Probable lineups for FC Barcelona-Athletic Club in LaLiga EA SPORTS 2024/2025

  • FC Barcelona's XI: Ter Stegen, Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Balde; Bernal, Casadó; Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha y Lewandowski
  • Athletic Club's XI: Padilla, Gorosabel, Yeray, Vivian, Yuri; Prados, Vesga, Sancet; Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams y Guruzeta

Ter Stegen

The German goalkeeper saw his goal fall on the first matchday with a lethal header from Hugo Duro. However, he ended up being key in the Barça victory with a couple of saving saves that kept the team in the match. Against the Athletic, he will seek to achieve his first clean sheet of the season, motivated by the 'warmth' of the Barcelona fans who will support their new captain from the stands.

Koundé-Cubarsí-Iñigo Martínez-Balde

Hansi Flick is beginning to define his ideal defence while waiting for the return of Ronald Araújo and the possible signing of a right-back, with Joao Cancelo and Marc Pubill in the pipeline. Meanwhile, Jules Koundé will be in charge of covering the position and will have the difficult task of marking Nico Williams, the main threat for the Bilbao team. Balde, who was substituted against Valencia due to a knock, is back at 100%, while Cubarsí and Iñigo are beginning to establish themselves as the German's starting central duo.

Casadó-Bernal

The 'Marcs' have won over Flick and the Barcelona fans. The Barça coach is delighted with the youth players, comparing Casadó to Kimmich and showing his absolute confidence in Bernal, who at 17 years of age is beginning to make his mark in the first team. Given the more than likely absence of Christensen, it is expected that the two youngsters will once again be the team's mainstay in the clash against Athletic Club.

Lamine-Pedri-Raphinha

The attacking part of the midfield is the area most affected by Flick's system. Ilkay Gündogan left the squad to return to Manchester City, while Dani Olmo's presence remains an unknown given the problems presented when registering him. However, Pedri's return represents a 'light' in the middle of the storm, with the Canary Islander leaving good feelings during the minutes he was on the Mestalla pitch. For their part, Lamine Yamal and Raphina will complement the 'trident' and will be the team's 'daggers' on the wings.

Lewandowski

The Pole is coming into the game at a sweet moment. Against Valencia, the goalscorer was the star of the match, scoring the two goals that gave Barça the victory. Having just turned 36, Robert continues to be a fundamental pillar in the club and Flick considers him key in his system, so it is expected that against Athletic Club he will be as decisive as he was in the first matchday in order to get the second three points of the campaign.