Previous Encounters

Barcelona and Athletic Club have faced each other in two previous editions of the Spanish Super Cup (1983 and 2009), Barcelona won both of them.

Barcelona won 14 Supercopas, an all-time record in Spain, while Athletic Club won two and lost two, both losses against Barcelona.

Barcelona kept a total of 64 clean sheets against Athletic Club, 41 of them as the host and one in the Spanish Super Cup.

Athletic Club kept a total of 41 clean sheets against Barcelona, 24 of them as the host and one in the Spanish Super Cup.

In the last 25 games between Barcelona and Athletic, Barça lost only once: 18 Barça wins, six draws, one loss.

Barcelona scored in 19 of their last 20 away games against Athletic Club.

Barcelona won only 4 of their last 16 games in stadiums located in the Basque region.

The New San Mamés was the first away stadium which the trio Messi-Suárez-Neymar scored together.

Barcelona’s 100th goal last season was scored against Athletic at the San Mamés, an own goal by De Marcos.

Barcelona are the only team so far to score at least five goals in a game against Athletic at the new San Mamés.

Barcelona’s biggest win against Athletic Club is 7-0, recorded in La Liga 2000/01.

Athletic Club’s biggest win against Barcelona is 12-1, recorded in La Liga 1930/1931.

Players

Barça players with most official games against Athletic Club: Xavi (34), Migueli (32), Ramallets (31).

Barça players with most official wins against Athletic Club: Xavi (23), Messi (16), Valdés (15).

Barça players with most official losses against Athletic Club: Migueli (16), Segarra (12), César (12).

Yaya Touré (6) is the Barça player who has played most games against Athletic Club and won them all.

Barça players with most official goals against Athletic Club: Messi (17), César (15), Kubala (12).

Athletic Club players with most official goals against Barcelona: Zarra (20), Gorostiza (17), Bata (15).

Barça players who have scored hattricks against Athletic Club: Pascual, Evaristo, Stoichkov and Luis Enrique.

Athletic Club players who scored hattricks against Barcelona: Bata, Gorostiza, Iraragorri, Gárate, Elices, Unamuno, Zarra, Artetxe and Sarabia.

Players from Barcelona’s squad who face Athletic in the 2009 Supercopa: Alves, Piqué, Busquets, Pedro (scored a goal at the old San Mamés) and Messi (scored two goals at the Camp Nou).

Messi played six games at the old San Mamés: one win and five draws, scored two goals and giving two assists. He played one game at the New San Mamés, scoring one goal and assisting two.

Neymar scored four goals in the three games he played against Athletic Club last season.

Messi gave four assists in the three games he played against Athletic Club last season.

Messi played at least 15 games against 11 different teams, Athletic Club is the only club that is yet to win against Messi.

Rafinha is the first player ever to assist a goal against Athletic Club at the New San Mamés (with celta in 2013).

Many players featured for both teams: Juan Irízar, José Landazabal “Lakatos”, Félix Sesúmaga, Manuel Vidal, Gerardo Bilbao, Emilio Aldecoa, Jaime Escudero, Jesús Garay, Gonzalo Beitia, Pedro Mari Zabalza, José Ramón Alexanko, Andoni Zubizarreta, Julio Salinas, Ernesto Valverde, Joan Andoni Goikoetxea, Xavi Eskurza, José María García and Santi Ezquerro.

Many players have made their Barça debut against Athletic Club: Portas, Artigas, Vela, Francàs, Valcarcel, Rocasolano, Jaume Elías, Quique Martín, Soto, Gensana, Zaballa, Pellicer, Romero, Pérez, Juanito, Artola, Sorín, van Bronckhorst, Davids, Jorquera, Olmo, Orlandi, Martos, Pitu Comadevall, Masó, Milito, Maxwell, Ibrahimovic, Afellay.

Managers

Managers who have coached both teams: José Ralph Kirby, Ferdinand Daucik and Salvador Artigas.

Athletic Club’s current manager Ernesto Valverde played for both clubs.

Valverde faced previously Barcelona 17 times, managing four different teams (Espanyol, Villarreal, Valencia and Athletic Club): two wins, seven draws, eight losses.

Luis Enrique as a manager faced Athletic Club seven times (four with Celta Vigo and three with Barcelona): four wins, one draw, two losses.

Referee

José Gonzalez Gonzalez will be the referee the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, it’s the first time he officiates in this competition.

Barcelona have never lost a game with Gonzalez: 12 Barça wins and three draws.

Gonzalez officiated 11 games for Athletic Club: six wins, three draws, two losses.

Barcelona won their last seven games officiated by Gonzalez.

Gonzalez officiated five home games for Athletic, they won four of them and draw one, conceding 0 goals in them.