Barcelona chases 20th straight home win at Camp Nou against Athletic Club

Camp Nou opens its doors again for a LaLiga match after a long wait, and it does so against a rival steeped in history: Athletic Club. This Thursday, Barcelona is after more than just three points: the team wants to confirm at home what it already showed on the road.

The match, part of the postponed Matchday 1, carries extra spice. Hansi Flick's side comes into this game after thrashing Elche 5-0 away from home in Matchday 2, a result that made clear the team's offensive firepower remains intact despite the summer departures. A win at Camp Nou would confirm that this power also holds up in front of the home crowd.

There is a stat that adds even more flavor to the night: if Barcelona wins, it will string together its 20th straight home victory in LaLiga, something the club hasn't done since a run of 25 consecutive wins between November 2012 and January 2015. That's no small feat: it would be only the sixth time in club history that this mark has been reached. Streaks like this speak to fortresses, and Camp Nou, under Flick, seems ready to become one again.

On the other side is an Athletic Club side that arrives bruised. The Bilbao squad fell 1-3 to Sevilla in its league opener and needs a quick response to avoid starting the season with two straight losses. The problem is that recent history against Barcelona doesn't favor them either: the Catalans have racked up 21 wins and 3 draws in the most recent run between the two sides, with the Basque club unable to beat them in that span.

How both teams line up

For this match, Flick could go with Joan Garcia between the posts, backed by a defensive line of Eric Garcia, Christensen, Gerard Martin and Cancelo. In midfield, Bernal, Espart and Fermin would likely feature, while up top the headline duo remains Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, joined by Gordon. On the Basque side, Ernesto Valverde could stick with Unai Simon in goal, Jesus Areso, Yeray Alvarez, Aitor Paredes and Aymeric Laporte across the back, with Benat Gerenabarrena and Peio Urtasan in midfield, and Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Alex Berenguer and Gorka Guruzeta tasked with creating danger up front.

The match is set for Thursday, August 27 at Spotify Camp Nou, kicking off at 1:00 pm Mexico City time, 2:00 pm for Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, 3:00 pm for the US East Coast and Chile, and 4:00 pm in Argentina and Uruguay.

Will Athletic finally snap this losing streak, or will Barcelona keep building its home fortress? The answer starts to unfold tonight.