"Barcelona suffered elimination from the Copa del Rey earlier in the week despite winning 3-0 against Atletico Madrid, due to their 4-0 loss in the first leg last month. Having put up a strong performance in the previous match, irrespective of the outcome, Barcelona will want to build on that and generate more steam heading into the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Newcastle United next week."
"With Real Madrid winning against Celta Vigo on Friday, Barcelona's lead at the top of the La Liga standings has been cut down to one. And Hansi Flick & co. will be eager to re-establish their four-point advantage. However, Barça will have to do so without the services of Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde, both of whom suffered hamstring injuries against Atletico."
"Barcelona thrashed Athletic Club 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in November and beat them again 5-0 in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final. Flick will be aiming for a similar result tonight. Eric Garcia set to start at centre-back, having served his suspension in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg. The Spaniard will start alongside Pau Cubarsi at the heart of the defence."
Barcelona travels to Athletic Club in La Liga after Copa del Rey elimination despite a strong 3-0 performance against Atletico Madrid. The team aims to build momentum ahead of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Newcastle United. Real Madrid's victory over Celta Vigo reduced Barcelona's La Liga lead to one point, making this match crucial for re-establishing their four-point advantage. Barcelona will be without Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, Frenkie de Jong, and Andreas Christensen due to injuries and unavailability. Manager Hansi Flick will deploy Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsi in defense, with Joao Cancelo at right-back and Gerard Martin at left-back. Barcelona previously defeated Athletic Club 4-0 in the reverse fixture and 5-0 in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final.
Read at Barca Universal
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