Goals from new club captain Raphinha and Fermin Lopez sealed a 2-0 home win for Barcelona against Athletic Club Bilbao at the Camp Nou on Thursday. The reigning La Liga Champions made it two wins from two games to continue their perfect start to the new season. 

The Catalan giants eased to a solid victory over their Basque visitors in their first game of the season at their partially rebuilt home stadium, with new arrival Rodri coming on to make his club debut.

Raphinha rounded Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon and slid the ball home in the 37th minute to give Barca the lead. Lopez then netted after 82 minutes to secure the three points for the home team, with the Catalans missing several chances for more goals and twice hitting the woodwork.

"Very happy to play my first game, happy with the victory, we've got two from two," Rodri told DAZN."It's important to keep building up rhythm and adapting to this great team. My first minutes and (I had some) good feelings."

Barca coach Hansi Flick made three changes to the team that thrashed Elche 5-0 last weekend, handing new signing Anthony Gordon his first start for the club, while bringing Pedri into midfield and picking Pau Cubarsi in defence.

With 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim the only natural striker in the Barcelona squad at the moment, Flick used Raphinha up front as a false nine, following the departures of veteran Robert Lewandowski and Spain World Cup hero Ferran Torres.

Barca have fruitlessly tried to pry Julian Alvarez away from Atletico Madrid, although Diego Simeone's side are refusing to sell the Argentina international despite the player having handed in a transfer request in an effort to force a move. 

Raphinha netted twice while deployed as a striker against Elche and was on target again for his club at the Camp Nou, giving them a deserved lead at half-time.

"It doesn't matter which position Rapha plays, as a captain he's shown total commitment to this team, to this club," Flick told reporters. "You can see the supporters are connected with him and it's really good."

Athletic Club Bilbao have started their season with two defeats under new coach Edin Terzic who calmly maintains that wins are around the corner for his team.

"I'm not a constant winner, I'm a constant trier," said former Borussia Dortmund coach Terzic. "I have full belief and trust when I see how we worked in these two games and in the training ground, sooner or later we'll get what we deserve and turn results in our favour."