FC Barcelona open the home portion of their slate on Saturday, when they welcome in Nico Williams and Athletic Club. Yes, Williams was indeed their top transfer target this summer window, but as you obviously know, the move never materialized. At this point, it doesn’t look like it’s going happen either.
Now the main name being linked with a move to Catalonia, before the window closes, is Juventus winger Federico Chiesa.
FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club FYIs
Sat. Aug. 24, 7pm, Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Barca Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Form, Standing: Barca W, 2nd, 3 pts Draw 28% Athletic Club D, 16th, 1 pt.
Google Result Probability: Barca 53% Draw 28% Athletic Club 19%
We’ll keep tabs on that, and if it starts to develop, we’ll do an article or two on it. In the meantime, in terms of players who are actually on the team, what should Hansi Flick go with for his starting XI?
While he does have some absentees to deal with, he still has a very strong side to field, and we’re thinking it looks like this.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction vs Athletic Club
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Marc Casado, Eric Garcia; Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.