Barcelona take on Athletic Bilbao in their second game of the La Liga campaign on Saturday. It will be Hansi Flick’s first official home game despite having already taken charge of the Gamper at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.
Flick will be hoping for a better result than the one against AS Monaco which ended in a loss for the Catalan giants. Barcelona managed to get their La Liga campaign off to a winning start against Valencia and will want to continue on the same note.
Athletic Bilbao are a tricky customer to face always with Ernesto Valverde making the Basque club play a successful brand of football. The ex-Barcelona manager will be hoping to get one over his former employers on Saturday.
There are a lot of interesting things to look forward to for Barcelona ahead of their clash against Athletic Bilbao we at Barca News Network bring you three talking points ahead of the clash on Saturday.
1. Nico Williams arrives at Barcelona, but there’s a twist
One of the worst-kept secrets of the summer is Barcelona’s supposed interest in Nico Williams. Throughout the summer, there have been efforts to convince the 22-year-old to join the Catalan club but a transfer hasn’t materialized.
Barcelona fans can finally get to see Nico Williams at the Montjuic but not in a Blaugrana jersey. The Athletic Bilbao #10 will come to Catalunya with the hope of getting the better of a club that has wanted to sign him all summer.
Keep in mind that the transfer window is not yet over but it now looks like Nico will not arrive this summer. When Deco was quizzed about the same a couple of days ago, he revealed that he wants the 22-year-old to come but the player isn’t agreeing.
The only thing Barcelona fans will be hoping for is that Nico doesn’t add further insult to injury by performing exceptionally against Hansi Flick’s team and helping Athletic Bilbao get a win over the Catalan club.
2. 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3?
Hansi Flick threw a curveball in his first La Liga game by veering away from his patented 4-2-3-1 setup. The German decided to deploy a traditional Barcelona 4-3-3 with two #8s and a #6 which might have been to do with the opposition.
Marc Bernal shone in the game as the lone pivot but the star was Marc Casado who had a Bernardo Silva-esque performance in midfield. The ex-Barca Athletic captain covered every single blade of grass on the pitch in a tireless performance.
Flick however has shown tactical flexibility and could choose to go back to a 4-2-3-1 against Athletic Bilbao. Pedri is expected to walk back into the XI after his second-half impact against Valencia.
It’s too early to call but it looks like Flick wants his team to be comfortable in both formations and it helps that the squad has versatile players who can play in both systems. It will be interesting to see which of these formations the German coach uses against the Basque club.
3. The debut of Dani Olmo
Dani Olmo is Barcelona’s marquee signing this summer but he is yet to be registered in La Liga. With the impending exits of Ilkay Gundogan, Vitor Roque, and more players, the Spaniard could be registered in time for the Bilbao game.
It’ll be unrealistic to see the 26-year-old start against Athletic Bilbao with almost no pre-season behind him but Barcelona fans would be eagerly awaiting his debut which Hansi Flick could give in the second half.
There have been question marks over Olmo’s signing considering his injury history and the number of options in midfield in the squad. However, the 26-year-old is effective from the left wing as well and it’ll be interesting to see where Flick uses him.
Olmo will be a crucial part of this Barcelona team going forward and the Bilbao game will give fans their first glimpse of him (hopefully). Let’s hope the registration issues are sorted and we see the ex-RB Leipzig star involved in some capacity against Bilbao on Saturday.
