Barcelona vs Athletic Club, summary: Marc Guiu, score, goals & highlights | LaLiga EA Sports 2023/24
Barcelona vs Athletic Club: as it happened
Full-time thoughts:
Marc who? Marc Guiu.
The 17-year-old scores the winner for Barcelona with his second touch for the senior side after being on the pitch for just 23 seconds.
The youngster will be on the front pages of the press in the morning, but it was not a game that the home side found easy at all, with Athletic dominating the first half. In the second, it seemed like tiredness was a factor for Ernesto Valverde's side, who will be disappointed with the result.
The game was a tough battle for Barcelona, who looked the stronger side after the break: the changes certainly helped Xavi's side and Lamine Yamal was a huge threat, despite missing a sitter before Marc Guiu's winner.
The Williams brothers caused havoc up against Christensen and Iñigo, but Ter Stegen was typically strong behind them and Barcelona have a lot to thank him for.
(And in case you're wondering, it's pronounced Gee-oo: the first syllable in 'geek' and the double-o sound in 'boo')
That's all, folks!
We'll leave it there with today's coverage. Thanks for joining in on the action and make sure to check out en.as.com for the latest sport news.
Joe
It won't be the last time we hear his name...
The La Masia product will take the headlines on tomorrow's newspapers across the country - and rightly so! (Although João Félix was my MVP for the game).
Full-time!
MARC GUIU'S WINNER GIVES BARCELONA ALL THREE POINTS AGAINST ATHLETIC CLUB
Lamine Yamal sees his name in lights and goes for glory from the edge of the box. His effort is spooned wildly over the bar.
Both sides scream for clear fouls that aren't given and the only reason I know the referee hasn't forgotten his whistle in his car is because we have been playing for 92 minutes and must have started the game with it at some point.
4 added minutes.
A very audible 'oooooo' comes from all four sides of the crowd as João Félix delightfully caresses a dropping ball with the grace of an opera-singing swan.
Berenguer can't get control of the dropping ball as it lands at the far post and Barcelona scramble back to put too many numbers in front of him, blocking off the chance to shoot at Ter Stegen.
A slicing ball from Félix towards Ferran is cut out by Unai Simón as Barcelona push for the second.
Man of the moment Marc Guiu is booked for a late slide on Unai Simón.
We're back underway.
The ball breaks through the Athletic defence and it lands with Marc Guiu on the edge of the box.
The youngster takes his first touch for the senior side and with the second he slides it underneath Unai Simón to put Barcelona ahead!
ON HIS DEBUT
MARC GUIU
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL
BARCELONA TAKE THE LEAD
We're into the final ten minutes.
Marc Guiu & Marcos Alonso ON
Fermín & Balde OFF
Iñaki Williams looks back at his teammate as a long pass that is played over the top of Barça's defensive line.
I imagine he mouthed the words 'seriously?' as he watched it sail over his head and land 20 yards in front of him.
Berenguer & Unai Gómez ON
Nico & Dani García OFF
Cancelo works the ball forward, cuts inside a smashes a low effort towards the near post that's well saved by the goalkeeper.
SAVE. UNAI SIMÓN.
João Félix skips past Vivian on the edge of the box and tries to slide the ball into Fermín and Unai watches it roll out of play. Félix races after the ball but the Athletic goalkeeper is in no rush, resulting in some angry words from the Portuguese forward.
Fatigue is creeping into both sets of players, with misplaced passes and lazy challenges making their way into the game now.
The last 5-10 minutes, especially given the changes, have seen the game take a slightly slower and more tactical turn, with both teams dropping the pace as they attempt to figure each other out.
Attendance revealed at Montjuïc
Just under 40,000 fans have braved the mild conditions to make the trip to the stadium.
The pace of the game has certainly dropped, which is no surprise given just how intense it's been until now.
Prados & Adu Ares ON
Ruiz de Galarreta & Guruzeta OFF
Basque changes incoming...
A poor pass from Athletic sees Barça recover the ball high up with Félix on the left, who drives towards goal and plays right to Lamine Yamal.
But the young forward makes a dog's breakfast of his effort, dragging a terrible effort wide of the near post from close range.
XAVI CANNOT BELIEVE IT
WHAT A MISS FROM LAMINE YAMAL
Ferran's touch is poor as he tries to control a genuinely insane pass from Iñigo in the Barça back line on halfway that curved round the midfield and landed at the feet of the attacker on the edge of the box. Nobody saw that coming, least of all Ferran.
Araujo & Lamine Yamal ON
Christensen & Oriol OFF
Barcelona have remembered they too can attack, and it's Fermín who smashes a shot over the bar from close range.
Barça find their feet and attack, and it's João Félix who spins on the edge of the box before smashing a low effort towards the bottom-right corner.
A huge hand from Unai stops the effort creeping through the gaggle of players and into the net.
MASSIVE SAVE FROM UNAI SIMÓN
Sancet goes down in the box after feeling a push from Iñigo Martínez. You know what the referee said.
Iñaki smashes the side netting with a low drive after being played in behind by his brother. Christensen made a token effort to chase the Ghanaian international, but he had no chance, the poor soul. Everyone loves a trier.
Paredes fires a cracking header towards goal that is deflected out and Nico gets another chance to fizz the ball in. Barça defend well this time and force Athletic back to Unai Simón.
Balde heads the cross away and Athletic win a corner.
Vivian's commanding header clears the danger for Athletic, which is coming from all sides when Barcelona attack.
Iñaki races up the left wing and is brought down by Cancelo, who laughably disagrees with the decision. A good chance for the away side to whip the ball in...
A very questionable corner is given to Athletic by the linesman... Iñigo swiped possession from De Marcos, who had burst forward, but it was tough to see if the ball actually went out of play.
Paredes got to Nico's corner but his header bounced wide.
Sancet is screaming at his teammates to move higher up the pitch and not give the home side so much space to build up. Barça look like they've had their half-time oranges.
Fermín can't get a head on a high cross from the right corner flag and it falls to João behind him. The forward takes a couple of touches and goes down (again) after the slightest of touches from Vivian, but he's not getting those today-
Barcelona have started brightly with the ball and their entire structure seems to be 10 yards higher up the pitch.
João Félix spreads the play from left to right towards Ferran, who skips inside before seeing his shot blocked out for a corner by Dani García.
Second half underway!
Barça get us going. No changes at the break for either side.
Ter Stegen the hero once again
The German has made 3 huge saves and right now, according to Sofascore's in-play ratings, he's the top-ranked player on the pitch, with 7.3.
Barça will be hoping to keep the streak going
Even The Undertaker eventually lost at Wrestlemania, and that's the way it's looking for the Catalan side, who have been sub-par so far.
Half-time thoughts:
Athletic Club will be regretting the long arms and legs Ter Stegen was born with, as the Barça goalkeeper has been, without a doubt, the most decisive player on the pitch.
The game-plan from the away side has been superb, with Athletic choosing their moments to attack and seeing the counters work every time.
Oriol can't catch a break and the front three, apart from a few moments, have been completely isolated from Gavi and Gundogan's creativity.
Both Williams brothers have had their chances to score, with Nico probably the player who should have put one of his shots in the back of the net, especially the fanstastic effort right on half-time.
Half-time!
Yes, we're at the break already and it's knowing smiles from the away side, who know they've been the better team so far.
The ball is played from the edge of the box to the left where Nico Williams takes a touch past Cancelo before smashing a low shot with his left foot towards the far corner.
Ter Stegen does superbly well to spread his body and get a leg to the shot.
Nico can't believe it.
WHAT A SAVE
TER STEGEN TO THE RESCUE AGAIN!!!
2 added minutes.
It's pulled back for offside once the ball goes out but what a huge save from Ter Stegen to stop Iñaki's low shot from the left towards the far post.
Another deadly counter-attack from Athletic that sliced through Barça like a katana through candy-floss.
BIG CHANCE FOR ATHLETIC
Nico wants a penalty after João Cancelo clearly pulls the player's shirt inside the box, but it's another no from the Señor referee.
Athletic go close with Sancet and Guruzeta, who almost get on the end of a whipped ball in from left-back substitute, Lekue.
Oriol Romeu goes into Martínez Munuera'sbook for naughty boys after a shirt pull on Sancet stops a counter attack for the away side.
Xavi is having stern words with Cancelo, and from my incredible lip-reading skills (not Xavi's obvious hand gestures), he told him to get way higher up the pitch when Barcelona have the ball.
Dani García goes into the book for that needless attempt at a tackle on the unsuspecting Romeu.
Athletic, who have definitely had the better of the last 5-10 minutes, give up a golden opportunity to advance as Dani García goes in wildly on Oriol, who is facing his own goal on the edge of the home team's box.
Pinball on the edge of the Barça box as Guruzeta breaks away with both Williams putting on the afterburners and causing havoc for the back-tracking Barça defence, who eventually clear their lines.
The flag goes up for an extremely tight call on Sancet, who bursts in behind Oriol as Iñaki Williams slides in a delightful pass through the Barça defence.
He doesn't agree, but the replay shows the linesman does indeed get the call right.
Nico Williams doubts about chasing a loose ball as he thinks it's flying out of play, but he misjudges it and screams into thin air as he certainly could have had a go at getting on the end of it. A chance missed for the Basques.
I've had a look at a replay of the João 'foul', and it's a no from me.
The player's leg is left hanging and he's got a fistful of a defender's shirt. Don't let the social media screenshots fool you.
Shouts for a penalty (again) as João goes down (again), but the referee says no (again). Athletic spring out of the traps and race forward 80 yards, but Ter Stegen comes out to defend.
Yuri's night is over, and Lekue drops in at left-back.
Lekue ON
Yuri OFF
Yuri can't continue and Lekue is going to come on shortly...
Athletic's press is giving Oriol plenty of problems - he hasn't been able to take more than one breath without a player in white hunting him down. It's causing the side some problems in build-up, but Gundogan is dropping deep to help.
We've got a stoppage as Yuri, the Athletic left-back, is down.
Ferran tries to switch the play towards Balde, but the pass is too heavy and flies out. The left-back is finding a lot of space on the wing and Xavi, who is applauding ferociously, is clearly happy with that.
The danger isn't cleared by Barça and Athletic push it towards goal. The bouncing ball is cracked furiously by Iñaki from the edge of the area, and Ter Stegen has to leap with a huge, high arm to stop the volley from crashing in off the crossbar!
HUGE SAVE FROM TER STEGEN
Whistles, screams and tears from the crowd as João Félix is shoved to the floor by Vivian, to which the referee says 'no, señor'.
A shot comes in from the Portuguese forward, who is fine, and Unai saves easily.
Xavi's tracksuit makes him look like Rocky Balboa during a pre-fight training montage.
The free-kick is crossed from a central position to the left side of goal, where Vivian heads over from a tight angle.
The wee monster has gone into the book for the shirt pull.
Athletic counter and Sancet is held back by Gavi, which is eventually blown for a foul after the referee initially let play continue.
Barcelona are looking dangerous and have a corner after nice work again from Balde, who is giving De Marcos a nightmare game so far.
A stunning pass from Gundogan in a deep, central area finds Balde on the left, who scorches past De Marcos. The left-back cuts the ball back to João, who falls over, leaving it for Fermín.
The youngster smashes a low drive across goal but the goalkeeper gets a strong leg on the effort!
HUGE SAVE FROM UNAI SIMÓN
NicoWilliams is seeing a lot of the ball in the opening minutes and there is already an intriguing battle developing between him and Cancelo.
Ferran beats left-back Yuri and plays a low pass square to João just inside the box. Unai stands still as the shot looks like it's sailing over, but the ball skims the crossbar on the way past!
CROSSBAR. JOÃO FÉLIX.
Nico races up the other end of the pitch to win a corner for the Basque side. Ter Stegen gets a huge fist to the ball but it's fired back into the box, causing momentary panic for Barça, who eventually clear.
Paredes heads away Balde's cross after the play was nicely opened up by a delightful Gundogan pass from the middle of the pitch to the left back, who got the better of De Marcos down the wing.
Every 50/50 challenge is being won by the away side in the opening moments of the game: they look incredibly fired up against a Barça side who just want everyone to calm down.
Sancet wiggles his way around the edge of the box and plays the ball right to Iñaki, whose curling effort is caught by Ter Stegen down low.
TER STEGEN SAVES
De Marcos zooms down the right side of the pitch and Balde meets the ball in the box, watching it roll out of play. We're at 100mph right now.
Xavi is wearing a very stylish navy track jacket, in case you're wondering.
Boom. A lightning-fast start, as we expected. Athletic lose the ball but chase like 11 Mario Kart racers, pressing Barcelona right back to their own goal.
And we're off!
The away side get us going from right to left.
Barça are in their home strip; Athletic are in white shirts, white shorts and white socks.
Late injury news:
Ander Herrera has injured himself in the warmup; Galarreta has taken his place in the XI.
Ready to go!
Here come the players!
Will we see 'The Shark' on the scoresheet?
Ferran has 3 goals in 8 games in LaLiga, as well as 1 in 2 Champions League games.
Lewandowski's absence has opened up a huge hole for the Spaniard to fill and so far, along with João Félix, he's managing to convince.
Ten minutes to kick-off!
The players' warmups have finished and they have headed down the tunnel for the final team talk before kick-off!
Warmups underway!
The two teams are currently on the pitch for the pre-game warmups - we've only got around 15 minutes until kick-off!
Xavi pre-game:
It will be a tough game against an intense opponent. Ernesto is a brave maanger, they will press us and we have to win duels and by physical. They will make things difficult for us, and they will be confident.
We don't take the injuries as an excuse. It's difficult but we find alternatives.
We can compete and get the three points.
Nico Williams to DAZN:
I feel good, I'll do my best for the team.
It's just another game for us, we have to work how we always do.
Barça look good, if I score or anyone on my team scores, I'll be happy. Hopefully we can get the three points.
Here's a look at the stadium ahead of kick-off:
I said that pleasant 19º was going to drop like a stone, and it certainly looks pretty blowy at the Barça ground half an hour ahead of KO. Bring your coats, everyone.
A reminder of the starting XIs:
If you've just joined us, here is a reminder of how the two teams line up today:
BARCELONA [4-3-3]:
Ter Stegen
Cancelo - Iñigo - Christensen - Balde
Oriol - Gavi - Gundogan
Fermín - Ferran - João
Manager: Xavi Hernández
ATHLETIC CLUB [4-2-3-1]:
Unai Simón
De Marcos - Vivian - Paredes - Yuri
Dani García - Ander Herrera
Nico W - Sancet - Iñaki W
Guruzeta
Manager: Ernesto Valverde
Athletic's recent games:
There have been plenty of goals in Athletic Club's recent fixtures, with the side scoring 7 in 4while conceding 5. Always watch Athletic? Probably. Any team with a Williams brother in the side is worth checking out, and we've got them both together here in red and white.
The dressing rooms are ready!
We've got around 45 minutes until kick-off and the Barça dressing room is looking fresh ahead of the game!
Could we see an addition to this stat?
Carvajal's late goal was enough for Real Madrid to come away with a point against Sevilla, and the header saw them draw level with Barça for point won from second-half goals scored so far this season, with 10.
Barça's recent run of results:
The Catalan side may be unbeaten in LaLiga, but their recent results have not been ideal for a team that is trying to knock Real Madrid off top spot in the table.
Xavi's side have drawn 2 of their last 3 domestic games, as well as squeezing past a Porto side who are probably still kicking themselves for not taking at least a point away from the game.
As said, they are yet to lose in the division, but the team is not beyond putting in a frustrating performance, and ex-manager Ernesto Valverde will be well aware of that fact.
Fancy some pre-game reading?
Here you go, dear reader. The Catalan club’s sporting director Deco has stated that the club intend to hold a special farewell to Messi, who left during turbulent times.
Find out all the information on the Messi tribute from Barcelona: “He will for sure play a farewell match at Barcelona. When will it be? We don’t know. He’s still playing, and hopefully, he’ll play more years because people who love football will be happy to see him happy,” Deco said.
Ernesto Valverde's XI revealed:
Unai is in goal, behind a line of Yuri, Paredes, Vivian and De Marcos.
Dani García and Ander Herrera hold the fort in the middle of the pitch, with Sancet, the Williams brothers and Guruzeta ahead of them.
Here is the Barça XI!
Ter Stegen starts in between the sticks with Cancelo, Iñigo, Christensen and Balde ahead of him.
The midfield is made up of Oriol, Gundogan and Gavi, with Fermín, João and Ferran up top.
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Want to watch the game while sticking by the liver coverage with myself?
Well, look no further, dear reader. Here’s how you can watch the game today, which kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT.
Ernesto Valverde pre-game quotes:
It's a complicated place for Athletic, FC Barcelona have been very strong at home in recent years.
The way they play, the way they push you back and keep possession, they're a very strong team. Tomorrow's game is not a challenge, it's an opportunity to break a bad record and get three points on the road.
We're a team that tries to control and dominate the game. Against teams like FC Barcelona we know that control might belong to our opponents and we will need to be patient.
We know that this match is difficult, they're the current LaLiga champions and favourites to win this one too. We're going to a difficult ground.
The home side arrive at the stadium...
The Barça boys are at Montjuïc well over 90 minutes ahead of kick-off for this uber-important LaLiga clash!
BSR Agency / Getty Images
Wait, that's not Camp Nou!
Well done, eagle-eyed reader. Barcelona aren’t playing in their usual Camp Nou home this season, and if you’re a fan of the way things used to be, then it’s probably best you don’t look at any pictures of the current state of the famous ground.
It’s a building site right now as Joan Laporta initiates the project that will see it become a mega-stadium, one that can compare with the rest of the world of elite football.
While it might be seen as a shame that the old venue is being ‘replaced’, it’s definitely true that a new lick of paint and a spaceship shell - like what’s happening at the Bernabéu - wasn’t going to be enough to paper over the cracks.
So, Barça are playing in the Estadio Olímpic Lluis Companys, or Montjuïc stadium, which was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1992 Summer Paralympics.
VINCENT WEST / REUTERS
LaLiga - Osasuna v Atletico Madrid
Juan Martínez Munuera is the man with the whistle today.
The Valencian referee is a seasoned pro in LaLiga, having made his debut in 2013.
He has 4 games under his belt so far this season, and has given out 2 red cards.
Let’s hope he keeps it firmly in his pocket today and has an easier time than the poor soul who was in charge of Sevilla 1-1 Real Madrid last night.
Weather check!
Temperatures have certainly dropped across Spain, and that's why we've got what I'd call soon-to-be chilly evening. For now, though, we're sitting at a very manageable 19º.
Perhaps it's one where later on you'll wish you'd brought your denim jacket. You know the ones.
How the table looks:
Barcelona sit in fourth on 21 points, behind Real Madrid (25), Atlético Madrid (22) and Girona (22). The Catalan side led by Xavi can go second with a win, but they will have played one game more by the time everyone else catches up.
A positive person would now invite me to add that Barcelona are the only unbeaten side in the league after 9/10 games and Xavi will want to maintain the 100% record that they have at home.
As for the Basque side, they are just 4 points behind Barcelona, and sit in 6th. A win today would see them hop up the table into 5th place, ahead of Real Sociedad.
There is a 3-point gap between them and Real Betis just below (which unfortunately we can't see in the graphic), and the Andalucian side have also already played their match day 10 game, drawing 1-1 against eternal annoyances, Getafe.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 25 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Team news: Athletic
It’s good news for Athletic Club, who welcomed back Galarreta, Vesga and Nico Williams to training.
The only injury absence is Yeray, who will be out for two months after recently undergoing adductor surgery.
Team news: Barcelona
Let's start off with the Catalans. Xavi’s injury room is still full, with a huge number of big hitters still on the sidelines.
Jules Koundé is out in the defence, while Pedri and De Jong are not fit to play either.
In attack, both Raphinha and Lewandowski are still recovering from their injuries ahead of El Clásico next weekend.
The good news is that both Lamine Yamal and Balde are fit and in the squad for the game, something which will certainly please the boss.
Hello!
Well, we certainly cracked open the good stuff yesterday and saw a dramatic 1-1 draw at the top of the LaLiga tree, so let’s hope today is no different, boys and girls.
We’ve got a weekend stacked with LaLiga classics, and today I’m delighted to say we have got one of the division’s all-time great fixtures: Barcelona vs Athletic Club!
It’s Joe here today to guide you through the ups and downs from the top of the big hill at the Montjuïc stadium.