Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
LaLiga 2019-20
Venue: San Mames Stadium
Date: Friday, August 16, 2019
Kick-off time: 8pm BST
Barcelona kick off their title defence with a trip to face Athletic Bilbao - but the Spanish champions are without Lionel Messi.
Messi has been stepping up his fitness after missing Barca's US pre-season tour with a calf injury, but Ernesto Valverde is taking no chances with the Camp Nou legend.
While holding off a title challenge from Madrid rivals Real and Atletico will obviously be crucial, Barca's main aim this season will be to finally reclaim the Champions League - especially after their shock semi-final exit to Liverpool last term.
In that regard, Messi's injury could be a blessing as Valverde will want to see his squad - including new signings Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie De Jong, Junior Firpo and Emerson - sharing the load to lead the club forward.
Barcelona team news
Messi's absence will offer Griezmann the chance to shine on the left, with Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele joining him in attack.
Frenkie de Jong is likely to feature in midfield after his summer move from Ajax, but Arturo Vidal and Arthur are not in the squad and goalkeeper Neto is injured.
Barcelona predicted lineup: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, De Jong, Rakitic; Dembele, Suarez, Griezmann
Prediction: Bilbao 0-2 Barcelona
Even without the magic of Messi, Barca have enough star power to see off Bilbao - but it will be interesting to see how Valverde's squad copes without their talisman.
Last season it seemed as though Messi needed to come off the bench and rescue Barca whenever he was rested, so the Blaugrana will need to figure out how to cope without him when the team eventually comes for the Argentine to retire.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Bilbao to win: 4/1
- Draw: 29/10
- Barca to win: 7/10
- Barca to win 2-0: 7/1
Tickets
Click here for more ticket information from Athletic's website.
TV channel and live stream information
Fans of LaLiga in the UK and Ireland will be able to watch the competition after all as ITV announced plans to show one game per week, starting with Barcelona's trip to Athletic Club on Friday night.
There was no buyer when rights for LaLiga were auctioned in July, but there will be one game shown live in each of the first three matchdays, ITV announced on Thursday – just a day before the season starts.
The match will be screened live for free on ITV4, and can be streamed online via the ITV Hub.
You can follow all the action and analysis on Standard Sport's LIVE blog with Ben Hayward.
Bilbao vs Barcelona head to head (h2h) history
There is bad blood between the sides after two historically infamous meetings around 25 years ago.
In September 1983, Andoni Goikoetxea became known as the 'Butcher of Bilbao' for an horrific tackle on Diego Maradona which broke the Argentine'a ankle - for which he received a 10-game ban.
The following May, the sides met again in the Spanish Cup final - a match which was not remembered for Athletic's 1-0 win but rather the mass brawn at the end of the game, once again involving Maradona and Goikoetxea.
