Barça defends its unbeaten performance against its last executioner Athletic
BARCELONA, 26 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona receives Athletic Club this Sunday at the Camp Nou (9:00 pm), in a match from matchday 26 of LaLiga Santander, in a duel in which the Blaugrana will see their good run of six games without losing challenged by an Athletic Club that , in the Copa del Rey, was the last one capable of beating him.
Always expected duel in Barcelona between two historic LaLiga and with added morbidity. This time, because the ‘lions’ endorsed Barça 3-2 to remove the ‘King of Cups’ from their competition. Since then, Barça has won four games and drawn another two between LaLiga and Europa League.
The ‘KO’ against Athletic gave, in some way, wings to Xavi Hernández’s Barça to continue on their path of improvement and progress. Overcoming the most complicated challenges has always been necessary to make a leap and progress, so beating Marcelino García Toral’s men at home could lead to another pass ahead of the ‘culers’.
Athletic will try not to make it easy for their rival. Delve into the wound, eat morale, and cut ground in the table – Barça has 5 more points and one game less -, all this could be achieved by the Bilbao team if it is capable of knocking down the Blaugrana again .
Of course, the game for Athletic comes in the middle of the Cup semi-final tie. They will play against Valencia for a place in the final, and something of that crucial game will be in the minds of the lions no matter how much Marcelino uses the topic of that his most important match is against Barça because it is the most immediate.
On the other hand, Barça comes with high morale, and not too worn out on a physical level after beating Napoli (2-4) in the second leg of the Europa League ‘Play-off’ in a duel where they got the ticket to the round of 16 with slack, with dominance and power. With a good game that he recalled in detail to that of the past more glorious than the gloomy present, although with glimpses of light, in which Barcelona still lives.
The blaugranas are facing another key game. It is an important appointment because Athletic is eighth, five points behind a Barça that is fourth again, a position for access to the next Champions League that they do not want to miss out on. Taking advantage of the improvement in the game and the winning streak can benefit a Barça that is wondering how much it will be able to extend its good moment, and with the fear of receiving its last ‘executioner’.
There will be new faces in this duel, if the technicians want it. While Athletic Club recovers Nico Williams, Xavi also already has the medical discharges of Memphis Depay and Clément Lenglet in his possession. In addition, he returns fresh after Dani Alves was sanctioned -expelled against Atlético and without playing, for not being registered, in Europe-. On the contrary, the sanctioned now is Jordi Alba, by accumulation, and Dest could play on the left side.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Dani Alves, Piqué, Araujo, Dest; Busquets, Pedri, F. De Jong; Adama, Aubameyang and Ferran Torres.
ATHLETIC CLUB: Unai Simón; Lekue, Vivian, Iñigo Martínez, Yuri; Zarraga, Vesga, Dani García, Muniain; Sancet and Iñaki Williams.
–REFEREE: Cuadra Fernández (Balearic C.).
–STADIO: Camp Nou.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./Movistar LaLiga.