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La Liga: Barcelona takes on Athletic Club; Koeman opts for unchanged starting XI
- FC Barcelona defeated Real Sociedad side 4-2 last weekend
- Athletic Bilbao started out their La Liga campaign with a draw
- Gerard Pique and Garcia will form the centre-back pairing for Barca
After registering a comprehensive victory in their opening La Liga fixture for the 2021/22 season, FC Barcelona are on the hunt for their second win in the Saturday night encounter against Athletic Bilbao in their first season without Lionel Messi in 17 years.
Manager Ronald Koeman has opted for an unchanged side from last weekend when they defeated a rather clueless Real Sociedad side 4-2. Meanwhile, Bilbao started out their La Liga campaign with a draw and will be hoping to better the results now that they are back at home.
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FC Barcelona (4-3-3)
For the Catalan club, just like in the previous fixture, Gerard Pique and Garcia will form the centre-back pairing while Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Frenkie De Jong will try to control the centre of the park. Upfront, Depay, Antoine Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite will provide a lot of mobility to Barcelona and will cause a lot of problems for the Sociedad defence.
While an unchanged lineup is not one that can be questioned much, but with Pedri having already played over 70 plus games at stretch since last season, Koeman will have to figure out a way to give rest to the youngster.
FC Barcelona Lineup: Neto, Sergino Dest, Gerard Pique, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba, Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Antoine Griezmann, Martin Braithwaite, Memphis Depay.
Athletic Bilbao (4-4-2)
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Following their draw against Elche last weekend, Athletic boss Marcelino will be hoping to make amends, although he would most likely love to take a draw against Barcelona.
The Basque side have opted for a traditional 4-4-2, with Inaki Williams and 21-year-old Oihan Sancet leading the line.
Athletic Bilbao Lineup: Julen Agirrezabala; Inigo Lekue, Daniel Vivian, Inigo Martinez, Mikel Balenziaga; Alex Berenguer, Dani Garcia, Unai Vencedor, Iker Muniain; Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet.
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