In the 13th round of the Spanish La Liga on November 22, 2025, Barcelona and Athletic will face off. An “El Clasico” where both sides are eager for success after a less than ideal start to the season.
The Catalan giants have shown rapid progress under Flick: after winning no trophies with Xavi in 2023/2024, they claimed every possible title in Spain. However, a number of issues have now accumulated. There have been several setbacks in La Liga, including a loss to Real Madrid, whom they now trail by three points (despite Real slipping in the previous round). In the Champions League, they suffered a defeat to PSG and a draw with Brugge. Still, they managed to win the majority of their matches overall.
In Bilbao, following Valverde’s return, they clinched their first cup in forty years in 2024, and last season secured fourth place in La Liga while also reaching the Europa League semifinals. Despite a decent start this time around, the team has noticeably slowed down. In the domestic league, after a 1-0 win over Oviedo, they now have as many wins as losses—five each. In the Champions League, they lost three times, with a single comeback 3-1 victory over Qarabag.
Yamal and company are still scoring heavily, averaging 2.67 goals per match. But they also concede quite a few—1.25 on average. For the Basques, the ratio is nearly even: one goal scored per match on average, with 1.08 conceded.
Barcelona vs Athletic: Key Statistics and Trends
Barcelona have won only two of their last four matches
75% of Barcelona’s games end with both teams scoring, with an average total of 3.92 goals per match
Athletic have lost three of their last four fixtures
42% of Athletic Bilbao’s matches finish with goals from both teams, and the average total goals per match is 2.08.
Barcelona vs Athletic: Probable Starting Lineups
Barcelona (probable lineup): Szczęsny – Balde, Cubarsí, Araújo, Eric García – Olmo, de Jong, Fermín López – Rashford, Lewandowski, Yamal
Athletic (probable lineup): Unai Simón – Berchiche, Laporte, Vivian, Gorosabel – Jaureguizar, Ruiz de Galarreta, N. Williams, Sánchez, Berenguer – Guruzeta
Previous Matches: Barcelona vs Athletic
The Catalans have not lost this “El Clasico” since 2020 and have now won three in a row.
