Barcelona vs Athletic Club

Barcelona host Athletic Club at Camp Nou on Thursday, 27 August, in a belated 2026/27 La Liga opener. Both teams have already played their matchday 2 fixtures: Athletic hosted Sevilla on 22 August, while Barcelona travelled to Elche the following day. Rodri could make his Barcelona debut, and Nico Williams returns to the Athletic squad.

Team News and Injury Latest

Hansi Flick confirmed that Rodri will miss the Elche trip but is expected to join the group on Monday, leaving him in contention for his first appearance against Athletic. “He’s very concentrated, focused. Our plan is that he will arrive on Monday with the team,” Flick said. Frenkie de Jong remains sidelined, while Roony Bardghji is out with a cruciate ligament injury. New signing João Cancelo is ready to feature, with Flick praising his “unbelievable technique and a lot of passion.” Lamine Yamal, who missed the end of last season with hamstring trouble, returned to action in pre-season, scoring from the penalty spot and providing an assist in a 5‑2 friendly win over Basel.

Athletic Club welcome back three key figures after their post‑World Cup break. Nico Williams, Unai Simón and Aymeric Laporte resumed training at Lezama on 10 August and were all included in the squad for the Sevilla fixture. Nico Williams’ return is particularly significant after a 2025/26 campaign in which his injury absences contributed to Athletic’s underperformance in front of goal. Iñaki Williams also remains a constant threat with his runs behind the defensive line.