"Barcelona's first game after the international break sees them play host to Athletic Club, a team with whom they seem to have a tense relationship following the events of the recent summer transfer window. After a long Nico Williams saga, including a period when the Basque club walked up to the La Liga offices to question Barcelona's financial situation, the Catalans are doing well under Hansi Flick despite having a long list of injured players for most of the campaign."
"Ernesto Valverde's side, however, cannot quite say the same, as they are in seventh place with only five wins in twelve games and as many defeats. They have conceded more goals than they have scored and average just one goal per game in the league. Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Athletic Club."
"Barcelona's game against Athletic Club tomorrow will go down in the history books as the Catalans' first game back at the renovated Spotify Camp Nou, and there is simply no better place to start the game's preview than the monumental upgrade of the venue. Since Joan Laporta and Co. began the Espai Barça project to renovate the stadium to a state-of-the-art facility, Barcelona moved to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys as their new home stadium. The renovations kicked off after the end of the 2022-23 season, and the team were expected to be back by the end of 2024. From that deadline being missed to multiple postponements, the stadium is finally ready with a limited capacity just under a year later. There will only be 45,000 fans in attendance tomorrow, but simply being back at the Spotify Camp Nou will be a massive boost for the dressing room and especially for Hansi Flick, who will be on the sidelines at the venue for the first time. In fact, so much has changed since the team's last game at the stadium that the squad now has as many as nine players who have never set foot at the venue. Even Lamine Yamal has only played once at the Spot"
Barcelona host Athletic Club in the first match back at the renovated Spotify Camp Nou, marking a significant stadium return with limited capacity of 45,000. A tense relationship with Athletic Club followed a prolonged Nico Williams saga and questions over Barcelona's finances, while Barcelona perform well under Hansi Flick despite many injuries. Athletic sit seventh with five wins in twelve matches, a negative goal difference and an average of one league goal per game. The stadium renovation under the Espai Barça project caused a temporary move to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys and multiple postponements before reopening. Several squad members have never played at the renovated venue.
Read at Barca Universal
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