Last season, Barcelona failed to beat Athletic Bilbao as they drew twice in both league games. Among the two contests, their 0-0 draw with the Basque side was one of significance because of how they performed. Even with their usual dominance of possession, they were for the most part bland in the attack.
Six months later, Barca once again faced Bilbao at the San Mames in a fixture that was not much different; it was almost like watching a replay.
This time around, the only difference was that they fell victim to a late goal by Athletic Bilbao club legend Aritz Aduriz in what was the first time since 2009 that Barca lost the first game of a league season.