Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in their first away match since the departure of lionel messi, hoping to back up a promising La Liga opener last weekend, while Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid also look to notch second straight wins. Ronald Koeman’s Barca beat Real Sociedad 4-2 last weekend despite the shock of seeing Messi leave for Paris Saint-Germain. The Catalan giants are also still without injured winger Ousmane Dembele and close-season arrival Sergio Aguero as they look to rebuild despite being saddled with debt and only finishing third last season.
Koeman did win his first major trophy as Barca boss last term, his side thrashing Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in a Copa del Rey final in which Messi scored twice.
Martin Braithwaite stepped into the six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s shoes last Sunday by grabbing a brace, while Memphis Depay impressed on his debut after joining from Lyon.
Koeman admitted after the win over Sociedad that other players in his team need to step up without Messi — who scored 38 goals in his final Barca season.
“We no longer have a player who can decide the fate of matches on his own — now it will be a collective effort,” said the Dutchman.
Instability at the Camp Nou is also rampant off the pitch, with president Joan Laporta on Monday saying the club’s financial problems are “worrying”.
He revealed that Barcelona’s debts stand at 1.35 billion euros ($1.58 billion) and that their wage bill is at least 25 percent higher than their competitors at 617 million euros.
Philippe Coutinho, among those high earners, was not part of the matchday squad against Sociedad and has been linked with a return to the Premier League — where he previously starred for Liverpool.
Veteran centre-back Gerard Pique, who scored last weekend, could miss out with a calf problem against Athletic.
By- Zaahid H.B
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