FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club prediction 27.08.2026 | La Liga

Barcelona return to Spotify Camp Nou after beginning their La Liga title defence with an outstanding 5:0 road victory against Elche.

Raphinha scored twice, while Fermín López also bagged a second-half brace. Summer signing Karim Adeyemi marked his first competitive appearance with a debut goal in first-half stoppage time.

Anthony Gordon also made an immediate impact from the bench, providing two assists shortly after his second-half introduction. 

The Catalan giants also enjoyed a decent pre-season campaign, winning four and losing only one of six summer friendly fixtures. 

In competitive fixtures, the hosts won 12 and lost three of their last 15 games since the end of last season.

Hansi Flick’s side have enjoyed complete dominance in recent encounters with Athletic, winning six successive encounters while scoring 17 goals and conceding only once.

Head coach Flick has some injury issues this week. Gavi is doubtful after being withdrawn against Elche. Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji remain sidelined with knee injuries, while summer signing Rodri is working his way back to full fitness after undergoing minor back surgery.

Pedri could replace Gavi in midfield, while Gordon is pushing for a place in the first XI after his impressive performance on Sunday.

Athletic Club make the trip to Catalonia looking to bounce back from a disastrous 3:1 home defeat against Sevilla.

Edin Terzić endured a miserable debut as Athletic Club head coach, with Yuri Berchiche receiving a straight red card after only 11 minutes.

Goals from Oso, Chidera Ejuke and Isaac Romero then condemned the Bosnian coach to a disappointing 3:1 debut defeat.

Bilbao have now lost three successive fixtures after slipping to defeat in their last two pre-season fixtures against Marseille (3:1) and Atalanta (1:0). 

The Basque side also struggled to find much form at the end of last season. Athletic have now lost five and won just one of their last seven La Liga fixtures.

A poor recent record against Barcelona offers little encouragement. Bilbao lost each of their last six encounters against Barcelona while failing to score in each of the five most recent meetings. 

Los Leones also fell to a 5:0 defeat on their last trip to Barcelona.

Head coach Terzić has a couple of selection concerns.  Yuri is suspended following his dismissal against Sevilla, while Dani Vivian is expected to remain unavailable through injury. 

Adama Boiro could replace Yuri on the left side of the defence.

Nico Williams could return to the starting XI after appearing as a second-half substitute against Sevilla.