Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Barcelona will hope to take another step towards the La Liga title with victory over Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou on Sunday.

Ernesto Valverde's side remain unbeaten in the league and go into the game after booking their place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with an impressive 3-0 second-leg win over Chelsea (4-1 on aggregate).

Athletic have struggled since Valverde's departure for Barcelona and have managed just four La Liga wins in 2018. They were also knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday after a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Marseille.

Date: Sunday, March 18

Time: 3:15 p.m. (GMT)/11:15 a.m. (ET)

TV: Sky Sports Mix (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)

Stream: Sky Go, NBC Sports, beIN Sports Connect, fubo.tv

Team News

Barcelona will be without midfielder Sergio Busquets after he was ruled out for three weeks with a foot injury, as confirmed by the club. He joins Denis Suarez and Nelson Semedo on the injured list, while striker Luis Suarez is suspended.

Andre Gomes or Paulinho could come in for Busquets in the heart of the midfield alongside Ivan Rakitic. Paco Alcacer could get the nod up front for the hosts.

The visitors are still without Mikel Balenziaga, Mikel Rico and Iker Muniain, per Transfermarkt.

Preview

Lionel Messi should return to La Liga action on Sunday after missing the win over Malaga last time out due to the birth of his third son.

The Argentinian shone in the Champions League win over Chelsea, scoring two and assisting another.

Football on BT Sport showed him in action:

While Messi has been in inspirational form this season, the Barcelona defence must also take credit for their superb results.

ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan highlighted just how good they have been:

Barcelona have not conceded a single goal in their last three outings, and while they will be without Luis Suarez on Sunday, they still possess plenty of attacking options with Messi, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Andres Iniesta and Alcacer all available.

The Catalan giants came back from two goals down to win 4-2 at the Anoeta Stadium the last time the two sides met in January. The result was notable as it was Barcelona's first La Liga win in 11 years at the ground.

While Athletic have caused Barcelona problems in the past, their away form this season will not inspire confidence. They have won only three times on their travels and have lost seven of 14 games.

They may look to full-back Oscar de Marcos on Sunday, as he is a man in form, as shown by Opta:

Striker Aritz Aduriz and Inaki Williams are also capable of causing Barcelona problems, but anything other than a home win would be a real surprise.