Barcelona Vs Athletic Bilbao: Returning To Camp Nou, Blaugrana Ready To Print Historic Nights

Barcelona players, happyah keembaii ek Caamp Nou (photo; x @FCBarcelona)

JAKARTA - Barcelona finally returned home after 909 days. Saturday night November 22, Camp Nou's newly renovated atmosphere came back to life when Athletic Bilbao came as the first opponent in the 13th week of La Liga match. This moment is not just a match; it's an emotional reunion between the club and the legendary stadium that had been 'lost' for two full seasons.

Camp Nou now stands with a new face even though it is not yet fully ready. The innovation worth 1.5 billion eeuro is running slower than planned, making the temporary capacity of only 45,000 seats less than half the final capacity targeted to reach 105.000. Even so, for cu men, returning to Camp Nou feels like returning from long evacuations.

On the pitch, Barcelona are in second place in the standings with 28 points, three points behind Real Madrid. Under Hansi Flick, they performed super productive with 32 goals, the highest in the league. The problem is, the back line still likes to falter; 15 goals have been nested, and they haven't recorded a clean sheet since September. The latest performance is still positive, including a 4-2 win over Celta Vigo, but the leak behind is a big homework that keeps annoying.

Historically, Barcelona are in full control of this fixture. Barca won the last three meetings, and from the last ten duels, Athletic only won twice both in the Copa del Rey and needed extra time.

Athletic Bilbao, perched in seventh place, came with ups and downs. They have just stopped a streak of three consecutive defeats after a narrow 1-0 win over Oviedo. The last five league games record shows six goals scored but only one clean sheet was achieved. The absence of away supporters for security reasons could also reduce additional boosts fortai Valverde's troops.

Athletic's squad didn't come complete. Inaki Williams is still injured, as are Unai Eguiluz and Maroan Sannadi. Benat Prados was absent until the end of the season, and Yeray Alvarez underwent a long-term suspension. Oyhan Sancet is still doubtful, although Nico Williams is back in shape and scored in the last game.

Barcelona is also still struggling with the absence of key players. Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Pedri have not been able to perform. Raphinha is starting to recover and may come down as a substitute. Joan Garcia is again the first choice under the bar, while Frenkie de Jong has to be absent due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are ready to take action, as well as Eric Garcia who plays in a protective mask.

With a hometown party at Camp Nou and soaring emotional impetus, Barcelona comes with a hard energy to match. Athletics have quality, but inconsistencies and a long list of injuries make this match very difficult for them.

Barcelona's return to Camp Nou is not just stadium administration; it's a symbolic revival moment that can add to the rhythm of their game in La Liga. After more than two years of traveling, returning home gave them extra gasoline to keep Real Madrid in the race for titles.

Player Composition Forecast;

Barcelona : J. Garcia; Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Olmo, Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Rashford

Athletic Bilbao : Simon; Berchiche, Laporte, Vivian, Gorosabel; Jauregizar, Ruiz de Galarreta; N. Williams, Sanchez, Berengguer; Guruzeta

Score prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Athletic Bilbao.