To the point with Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is hoping his side can start off this season how they finished their last - winning trophies.

The Treble Winners of last year-Barcelona, are going head to head with Bilbao for what could possibly be their first trophy in this years campaign since their unlucky defeat against Manchester City for the Gamper.

"To start the year with a title would be very positive," Guardiola said. Walking into the pitch with a 1 goal lead against Bilbao is not enough for "El Mister." He wants absolute effort. "They will come out to pressure us and we will have to be careful - I want the maximum application and effort from my players." "And of course we will go out and attack."

Pep will be without Iniesta and Marquez, who are still on the road to recovery from their injuries. On the other hand, Pep is counting on Marc Muniesa, Jeffren Suarez, Jonathon dos Santos and Andreu Fontas, who all have been named in the squad to face Athletic. After this match, Barcelona face Shakhtar Donetsk in the European Super Cup in Monaco next Friday, August 28th.

Meanwhile lets take a look at Joaquin Caparros' side. Athletic de Bilbao took the lead in the first leg in Bilbao last weekend, but eventually lost 2-1 with a fear shot from Pedro. The Basques then defeated Norwegian side Tromso 3-2 in a Europa League qualifying-round first leg on Thursday night.

And with next Thursday's trip to Scandinavia very much in mind, Caparros is likely to name a weakened side on Sunday, thus meaning Barcelona could take the upper hand in this game. Aitor Ocio and Fernando Amorebieta are both carrying knocks and will possible not be risked, while Fran Yeste, Mikel Susaeta, Javi Martinez, Iker Muniain and Oscar de Marcos have also resided in Bilbao. Spain striker Fernando Llorente has travelled to Barcelona, but is likely to be left on the bench. Summer signing Inigo Diaz de Cerio looks set to make his debut up front.

Athletic de Bilbao boss Caparros sees this game far from their reach. "The probabilities are small, but I've seen everything in football," he said.
"We'll go there, try to play a good game and see what happens."

The game is scheduled to be played at 22:00 hours local Barcelona time. To know when the game will be aired in your place of residence please visit http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. For links to the game please visit http://fcbarcelona.hopto.org/chat/channel.aspx?value=fcbarcelona. Which is the Barcelona Blog Chat.

Will Barcelona win the Supercopa De España? What will the score be and who will be in the line-up? You be the judge! And be sure to tell us your line-up in The Ultimate Game: Get Inside Guardiola's head.


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The Gamper, Ibra's Party

The day has come to enjoy the Swedish crack.

"Ibra Fever," as it is beginning to be known, has gotten a hold of Barcelona, as well as fans alike. "There is no better way than to present Ibra and open his debut at the 44th Gamper game," claims Xavier Muñoz from El Mundo Deportivo.

Perhaps this night would become one of the greatest nights for a Gamper. Having the likes of Robinho, Tevez, and Adebayor along with their ever growing squad applauding and welcoming back the Tricampeon to the field promises to shake and motivate azulgrana fans to fill the whole stadium. Its the game thats going to bring the most "bang" for the buck.

Ibra is probably going to play 45 minutes with a protective cover on his arm. Asked about his debut, he responded, "Of course I feel a little nervous. Everything is new and I still have to adapt. But I don't worry about it much. I know how good I am and I am confident."

"I will always try to play for the fans. And being along Henry and Messi at the front, Oh! I think that the fans will enjoy it." Asked about his future triumphs with Barcelona, Ibrahimovic responded, "You cannot just win here, you have to play beautiful football too. That is something that is a real motivation for me."

"Ibra's Party" will begin to be televised early morning, as preparations for the game will be underway. Before the game, the official presentation of Barcelona will begin. Fasten your seatbelts, we're in for a ride!