Athletic Club vs Barcelona: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction
By Max Parsons
Barcelona continue their Copa del Rey campaign on Thursday night as they travel to Athletic Club for their round of 16 tie.
Xavi's men are enduring a very tough season and although they enjoyed two wins on the bounce following the mid-season break, they have suffered yet another dip in form.
La Blaugrana beat Mallorca in La Liga before knocking Linares Deportivo out of the cup earlier in the month but have since been held to a point by Granada and lost in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals to Real Madrid.
They face a daunting task to progress to the Copa del Rey semi-finals, aiming to overcome a resilient Athletic side who also suffered at the hands of Real Madrid last time out as they lost 2-1 in the Super Cup final.
Here's 90min's preview of this clash.
How to watch Athletic Club vs Barcelona on TV
When is kick off? Thursday 20 January, 20:30 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Estadio San Mames, Bilbao
What TV channel is it on? Premier Sports 1 (UK), ESPN+ (US)
Highlights? Real Federacion Espanola Futbol YouTube channel
Who's the referee? Mario Melero Lopez
Athletic Club team news
The hosts will once again have to make do without Unai Nunez, Unai Vencedor and Asier Villalibre who all miss out through injury.
Marcelino is also expected to make some changes to his first-choice XI following the side's trip to Saudi Arabia so the likes of Inaki Williams, Iker Muniain and Dani Garcia could be given rests while Nico Williams, who enjoyed a starring role in Athletic Club's dramatic Super Cup semi-final victory against Atletico Madrid, should be awarded a start.
Barcelona team news
Samuel Umtiti, Sergi Roberto and Eric Garcia are certain absentees for Xavi's side, while Martin Braithwaite still remains an injury doubt.
Ansu Fati came off the bench to mark his return from injury against Real Madrid and could be in line for a start on this one. Pedri, however, will likely remain a substitute.
Similarly to their hosts, Barcelona should shuffle their pack, potentially resulting in starts for the likes of Neto, Oscar Mingueza, Nico Gonzalez and Clement Lenglet.
You can read Barcelona's predicted lineup here
Athletic Club vs Barcelona head to head
Barça have won exactly half of these two clubs' 212 meetings, coming out on top 106 times while Athletic Club have won on 71 occasions - there have been 35 draws.
La Blaugrana have predictably dominated in recent times and, although suffering comparatively hard times, have still won four of the two sides' previous six encounters - notably a 4-0 thrashing in the 2020/21 Copa del Rey final.
Athletic Club vs Barcelona prediction
Barcelona may have enjoyed a dominant victory against Bilbao in this competition's final last campaign but, when looking at both sides this term, it should be a far closer battle this time around.
While Xavi's side does contain vast amounts of quality, Athletic Club's renowned resilience and defensive solidity should create the sort of turgid affair that Barça have simply struggled with this season.
La Blaugrana might boast a superior league position at the moment, but don't be surprised to see last year's Copa del Rey runners-up knock out the reigning champions.
Prediction: Athletic Club 1-0 Barcelona