Barcelona Stalls in La Liga Race with Goalless Draw Against Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona missed an opportunity to capitalize on results elsewhere in La Liga as they played to a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao maintaining their third position in the table. Athletic Bilbao displayed a well-organized defensive approach limiting clear openings for Barcelona. Joao Cancelo came closest to scoring but his long-range effort was cleared off the line.

Despite Girona loss, a Barcelona win could have secured the second spot. However, Athletic resilient defense and a lack of serious threats on the counter kept the score level. The draw leaves Barcelona in third place, eight points behind Real Madrid who drew 2-2 against Valencia.

The result also hampers Athletic Bilbao pursuit of a top four position as they are now five points adrift of fourth placed Atletico Madrid. Additionally, Barcelona saw Frenkie de Jong and Pedri leave the field with injuries posing concerns ahead of their Champions League clash with Napoli.