Barcelona Predicted line-up vs Athletic Bilbao, injury news, suspensions list and more | La Liga 2019/20

The new La Liga season kicks off today with defending champions Barcelona traveling to the Basque region to take on Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames in the first match of the season.

Barcelona are once again the favorites to lift the title after an impressive pre-season. The addition of Antoine Griezmann and the rumored arrival of former star Neymar has got the fans dreaming about a potential treble this season.

Bilbao, on the other hand, will be hoping to get get back into Europe this season after narrowly missing out on a Europa League qualification place last season despite finishing level on points with Espanyol.

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Team News

The Barcelona captain will not feature against Bilbao today after failing to recover from a calf injury suffered during pre-season.

The biggest news in the Barcelona line-up will be the absence of captain Lionel Messi, who is still recovering from a calf problem.

Second choice goalkeeper Neto will also be sidelined after having suffered a wrist injury during pre-season, with Inaki Pena likely to take his place on the bench today.

Ernesto Valverde will have a big decision to make in the midfield, with Frenkie De Jong, Ivan Rakitic, Sergi Roberto, Arthur Melo, Sergio Busquets, and Carles Alena all fit and available.

New signing Antoine Griezmann is expected to make his first start for the Blaugrana, with Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele likely to join him upfront.

Frenkie De Jong is also expected to make his first start while Junior Firpo will most likely be relegated to the bench.

Suspensions: None

Injuries: Lionel Messi, Neto, Moussa Wague

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Predicted Line-up

Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Arthur; Griezmann, Suarez, Dembele

The predicted line-up for Barcelona