Athletic Club – Barcelona. Predicted line-ups and latest news

The central match of the 27th round of La Liga will be the encounter between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, which will take place tomorrow, March 3rd, at the San Mamés Stadium.

• Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona prediction and betting tips on March 3, 2024

Athletic continues to battle for a Champions League spot, and a victory in this match, and consequently three points, will allow the Basques to draw level with Athletic, who currently occupy the fourth position. This season, the team has shown much better results than in the previous one, residing in the European competition zone and making it to the final of the Copa del Rey.

Barcelona started the season rather ambiguously but has already managed to return to the top three and temporarily climbed to second place in the last round. A victory in this match will once again allow them to surpass Girona, although Michel's team will also play tomorrow.

• Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona prediction and betting tips on March 3, 2024 by Jason Collins

Many well-known sources, such as Sofascore, Fotmob, and Whoscored, have already put forward their assumptions about the possible starting lineups for each of the teams.

First and foremost, it should be noted that both teams have absences ahead of the match.

Dani Vivian and Nico Williams will miss this match due to disciplinary reasons, and Ander Herrera is sidelined for Athletic. There are doubts about the participation of Yuri Berchiche and Raul Garcia in the match.

Barcelona also has injured players, namely Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, and Ferran Torres.

Regarding Athletic's starting lineup, the aforementioned sources have differences in opinion. In goal, Unai Simon will surely play. In defense, Oscar de Marcos will be on the right, with Aitor Paredes and Yeray Alvarez in the center. The question remains who Ernesto Valverde will field on the left flank. According to Sofascore and Fotmob, it will be Inigo Lekue, while Whoscored puts Yuri Berchiche in this position.

There are also differences in midfield. Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Alex Berenguer, and Inaki Williams will likely take the field. The remaining two central players remain in question. Benat Prados or Mikel Vesga may play closer to defense, while closer to attack, it could be Oihan Sancet or Unai Gomez.

The lone striker will likely be Gorka Guruzeta.

• Predicted Athletic Bilbao line-up:
  Simon – Lekue/Berchiche, Paredes, Alvarez, de Marcos – de Galarreta, Prados/Vesga, Berenguer, Sancet/Gomez, Inaki Williams – Guruzeta

In Barcelona's lineup, sources disagree on more players. Marc-André ter Stegen will likely start in goal, with João Cancelo, Ronald Araujo, and Jules Kounde in defense. It is unknown who will be the other defender. It could be either Pau Torres or Inigo Martinez.

In midfield, everyone expects to see Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan. The question remains who will play in the center. It could be either Oriol Romeu or Andreas Christensen.

There are also differences in attack among the sources. Robert Lewandowski will surely play in the center, while on the right, it could be either Lamine Yamal or Rafinha. On the left, it could be either João Félix or Pedri.

• Predicted Barcelona line-up:
  Ter Stegen – Cancelo, Araujo, Torres/Martinez, Kounde – Gundogan, Romeu/Christensen, de Jong – Felix/Pedri, Lewandowski, Yamal/Rafinha

Sofascore

Fotmob

Whoscored

Reminder that the match is scheduled to begin at 21:00 Central European Time.