Following their hard-fought victory over Valencia (2:1), Barcelona unexpectedly decided to say goodbye to İlkay Gündoğan. The German is unlikely to take part in another official match under manager Hansi Flick: Manchester City is set to announce his return ahead of their game against Athletic Club.
At the Mestalla, Barcelona played an energetic debut match under their new coach, scoring twice around the half-time break. The team created a notable 2.75 xG from 18 shots—a solid statistic, although it's worth noting the decline in Valencia’s squad quality. Even with Dani Olmo slated for the second round, Flick will still have a hole in the defensive midfield. Mark Bernal and Marc Casadó cannot replace the injured main midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Pablo Gavira, while Pedri González is still only available from the bench.
Athletic Club started the new La Liga campaign with a home match against Getafe, almost securing a win (1:1). True to Ernesto Valverde’s style, the Basque side dominated possession (69-31) and created 0.72 xG from four shots on target. In Catalonia, Nico Williams will be keen to make an impact: Barcelona had been pursuing him, but the winger chose to stay in Bilbao, where he's capable of achieving 10+10 over a season.
In the first round, Athletic Club were without two of their primary goalkeepers and veteran Óscar de Marcos. Barcelona will inevitably get many chances up front, but their opponent will respond with counter-attacks.
|
Hans Flick
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Marc-André ter Stegen
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
|
Iñaki Peña
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alejandro Balde Martínez
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Andreas Christensen
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Eric García
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Gerard Martín Langreo
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Iñigo Martínez
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jules Kounde
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Pau Cubarsí Paredes
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Clément Lenglet
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Héctor Fort García
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mikayil Faye
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ronald Araújo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Álex Valle Gómez
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Marc Bernal
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Marc Casadó Torras
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Pedro González López
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Dani Olmo
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Frenkie de Jong
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pablo Páez Gavira
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pablo Torre Carral
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ferrán Torres
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Pau Víctor Delgado
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Raphinha
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Robert Lewandowski
|
fw. | 1 | 2 |
|
Anssumane Fati Vieira
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Fermín López Marín
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Vitor Hugo Roque Ferreira
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ernesto Valverde
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Alejandro Padilla Pérez
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
|
Julen Agirrezabala Astúlez
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Unai Simón
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Aitor Paredes Casamichana
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Andoni Gorosabel
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Dani Vivian
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Iñigo Lekue
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Yeray Álvarez
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Yuri Berchiche
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Oscar De Marcos
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ander Herrera
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Beñat Prados Díaz
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Mikel Vesga
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Oihan Sancet
|
mf. | 1 | 1 |
|
Unai Gómez Etxebarria
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mikel Jauregizar Alboniga
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gorka Guruzeta
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Iñaki Williams
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Nicholas Williams Arthuer
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Álex Berenguer
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Adu Ares
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Javier Martón Ansó
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nicolás Serrano Galdeano
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Álvaro Djaló Dias Fernandes
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
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