Barcelona secured the league title with two games to spare, while Athletic Club have confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League. It has been a successful season for both sides but they will be eager to finish on a high with a win in the final game of the 2024/25 campaign.
The home team are fourth on the table with 70 points in their 37 outings. They are ten points clear of 6th-placed Real Betis and are a certainty in next season’s UCL irrespective of the result in this game.
Athletic Club have won each of their last three league games. Their last outing was a 1-0 win over Valencia. While they will be confident about putting up a fight against Barcelona, it won’t be easy to secure a win against the champions.
The visitors have accumulated 85 points in their 37 outings. They are four points clear of second-placed Real Madrid heading into the final matchday of the season. It has been a highly successful season for Hansi Flick’s team and they will be eager to finish with a win.
Barcelona suffered a shocking 3-2 defeat at the hands of Villarreal in their last outing and they will certainly look to bounce back here. Going past Atheltic Club won’t be that straight forward but the Catalan giants do have the firepower needed to get the desired result. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team may be without the services of Yeray Alvarez and Nico Williams, who will both undergo a late fitness test to determine their availability.
Apart from the duo, everyone else is expected to be available for this fixture.
Athletic Club will stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Unai Simón will be in goal. The back four will be made up of Inigo Lekue, Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes and Yuri Berchiche. Lekue and Berchiche will be the full-backs, while Vivian and Paredes will partner in central defence.
In the centre of the park, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta will partner with Mikel Jauregizar. The duo will form the double pivot that will shield the backline and try to ensure that Barcelona midfielders do not dominate the proceedings.
Alejandro Berenguer Remiro and Inaki Williams will provide the width to their attacks, while Oihan Sancet will take up the number ten role. Meanwhile, Maroan Sannadi will be leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Simon; Lekue, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Sancet, I Williams; Sannadi
Jules Kounde, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Ferran Torres and Pablo Torre are all out injured. Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo might also miss this fixture because of a slight muscle issue.
Flick is expected to make a few changes to the XI for the final fixture of the season but he will stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Marc-André ter Stegen should continue in goal, while Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde should feature as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Pau Cubarsi should partner with Inigo Martinez.
Pedri will partner with Frenkie de Jong in the centre of the park. They will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they have the majority of the ball.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will provide much-needed width to their attacks. Dani Olmo will take up the number ten role, while Robert Lewandowski will be the one leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ter Stegen; Garcia, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
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Averaging a goal every 96 minutes in your mid-30s isn’t as easy as Robert Lewandowski has made it look. The 36-year-old continues to score goals for fun and has been one of the go-to men for Barcelona under Hansi Flick.
He has featured in 51 matches across all competitions this season, contributing to 43 goals (40 goals and 3 assists) in just over 3,800 minutes of first-team action. He has been amongst the best forwards in Europe but having failed to score in any of their last six league games, the Polish international will be eager to find the back of the net.
Athletic Club have been in fine form heading into the final game of the season. With an impressive home record to back them, they will be confident of giving the newly-crowned champions a run for their money. With a top-four finish already secured, Ernesto Valverde’s men will look to end on a high and maintain their winning run.
The hosts have the best defensive record in the league and that could prove crucial against a Barcelona side that have the best attack in the competition. While the Catalan giants have already wrapped up the title, they will want to bounce back after the disappointing loss to Villarreal.
While the visitors will push for all three points, Athletic Club’s resilience at home and current momentum could see them hold the champions to an entertaining draw. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-2 draw in this fixture.
