In the final round of La Liga's 2024-25 season, newly crowned champions Barcelona will travel to the Basque Country to face Athletic Bilbao at the iconic San Mames Stadium this Sunday evening.
The Catalan giants have already secured their domestic title after defeating Espanyol 2-0 on May 15, completing an impressive trophy haul in Hansi Flick's debut season. The German tactician has already guided Barcelona to success in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, making it a memorable first campaign at the helm.
Despite their dominant season, Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from a surprising 2-3 home defeat to Villarreal – their first loss in 2025. With 99 goals scored in the league campaign, they'll be eager to reach the century mark in this final fixture.
For Athletic Bilbao, the season has been equally successful in their own right. Ernesto Valverde's squad has secured a return to the Champions League after finishing in the top four, despite their disappointment in the Europa League where they fell to Manchester United in the semifinals.
According to Statbet analysis, Athletic's home form has been particularly impressive this season, collecting 39 points from 18 matches at San Mames while conceding just 10 goals – one of the best defensive records on home soil in the league.
The hosts enter this fixture in excellent form, having won their last three matches against Alaves, Getafe, and Valencia without conceding a single goal. However, they'll face a Barcelona side with the league's best away record, having accumulated 42 points on their travels.
Athletic haven't defeated Barcelona in La Liga since August 2019, though they did manage a goalless draw when the teams met at San Mames last season. In the reverse fixture earlier this campaign, Barcelona edged a 2-1 victory at Camp Nou.
Expected lineups:
Athletic Bilbao: Simon; Lekue, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Sancet, Inaki Williams; Sannadi.
Barcelona: ter Stegen; Garcia, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Barcelona's attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski will be looking to end their championship season on a high note against a formidable Athletic defense that has proven particularly difficult to breach at home.
