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Barcelona head coach Xavi is set to leave three of his key players on the bench for their La Liga clash with Athletic Bilbao tonight (Sunday). The Blaugrana host the Basque Country outfit at the Camp Nou, in the third meeting between the two teams this season.
Xavi has almost all his key players available for selection. However, to avoid causing fatigue, he could bench Ferran Torres, Frenkie de Jong and captain Sergio Busquets.
Since arriving from Manchester City in January, Torres has accumulated nearly 700 minutes with the club in eight games. While it shows he's already a big part of the squad, the Spaniard could use the break, as he only returned from an injury at the time of his transfer.
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De Jong, meanwhile, has looked to be in top form lately, scoring in his last two appearances, so a break wouldn't hurt him either. However, Busquets has been highly inconsistent this season, getting dropped from the Blaugrana's first-leg tie with Napoli in the Europa League.
Nico Gonzalez, who has mostly impressed whenever he has come in for the captain, could get another chance to shine against Athletic Club.
In other possible changes, Dani Alves could return to the starting line-up after missing the win at Napoli on Thursday. Meanwhile, Gavi is also gunning to feature from the off.
Barcelona in good form to end Athletic Club hoodoo
Barcelona are winless in two meetings with Athletic Club this season, losing and drawing their two previous clashes.
They played out a 1-1 draw at the San Mames in a league game in August. The Lions then secured a stunning 3-2 win in the Copa del Rey last month. Since that loss, though, Xavi's side have hit their peak, going unbeaten in their next six games, winning five.
They've also scored four goals in three of those games, including in their last two. January arrivals Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traore are firing on all cylinders.
Barcelona are playing with renewed confidence right now. Although Bilbao themselves are in good form at the moment, the Blaugrana will fancy their chances of taking all three points.
