The beaches and the Camp Nou will be empty tonight in Barcelona, but the verbena San Juan it comes hot. He Barca receive the Athletic with the inflamed environment. The 'Piqué doctrine', announced on Friday, gained adherents with the events of San Sebastián. So a party that had to measure the reaction capacity of Setien, the spirit of Griezmann for his substitution, the integrity of Barça as a persecutor and the level of resistance of Athletic, a rough team with Garitano who still dreams of Europe, will become an exhaustive follow-up of the movements of Gil Manzano and Cordero Vega in the VAR (follow the match live on AS.com).
But Barça is bound to do more than just turn on the fan. He has a tough trilogy of games coming up, so he would do well to focus on football. Against Athletic, Celtic and Athletic He has to continue in the race and, although many already suspect that the persecution will be as fruitless as in the 2016-17 season, Barça is obliged to be competitive on the pitch so as not to be accused of speaking more in front of the microphones than in the countryside.
Athletic, which has put a spectacular goalkeeper on display this year, Unai Simon (16 games out of 41 without conceding a goal) has won Barça's two games of the season, although one of its great protagonists is gone. Aduriz He left his last monument to football with that Chilean who has already announced a difficult season for Barça and a magical one for Athletic, which has that exciting final of Cup as a wild card in the freezer. The rhythm of matches will force Garitano to rotate. In addition to the losses of Yuri, Beñat and Ibai, Capa and Raúl García can rest at the beginning. Who will play is the exuberant Williams, who always rushes Piqué. Barça also has to move the tree but, above all, find the goal he lost in Seville.