The Catalan team did not win the Spanish championship last season. They finished second in the league, trailing the champions by ten points. Barcelona decided to change their head coach: Xavi was replaced by the German specialist Hansi Flick. Under the new coach, the Blaugrana played five matches, and the results have been mixed. They won the first three games, but then suffered two defeats.
The start of the new La Liga season has been very challenging for Barcelona. The Catalans conceded first to Valencia but managed to secure a comeback victory 1-2 thanks to a brace from Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona has also been active in the transfer market. The team released ten players and acquired two. The most expensive transfer was Dani Olmo from RB Salzburg for €55 million.
The Basques finished last season strongly, securing fifth place with 68 points from 38 matches. Additionally, Bilbao won the Copa del Rey final, claiming the title. During the offseason, Athletic signed two new players and sold or released eight. However, the most significant news was that the club managed to keep their winger Nico Williams, who had been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona but decided to stay.
The Basques played seven friendly matches this summer, winning three and losing four. In their first game of the new season, Athletic faced Getafe. They scored in the 27th minute but could not maintain or extend their lead, as Getafe equalized in the second half. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, despite Athletic being the clear favorite.
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