Barca seek revenge for recent cup defeat
Barcelona take on Athletic Bilbao in an exciting match in La Liga. The home side are in fourth place and have recently been much more stable than in recent weeks.
However, they already had to play a tough game in the Europa League against Napoli this week and therefore have a physical disadvantage compared to the visiting Basques. The Basques are also in a strong run of form this season, with three wins from their last four league games.
On top, they are only five points behind the FCB, although the hosts have also played one game less. In the match at Camp Nou between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, the forecast includes a goal celebration on both sides.
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has arrived at Barcelona! Last matchday, the Gabon international scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 away win at Valencia and enjoyed his first goals in his first league game as part of the starting eleven for his new employers.
With that in mind, betting odds on his next goal in the clash between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are equally attractive. This is also supported by the fact that his strike partner Ousmane Dembele continues to be inconsistent. The former BVB player is still waiting for his first goal this season!
On top of that, Fati and Depay, the two best goal scorers on the home side so far, are still out due to injury, which is why “Auba” is particularly important at the moment.
FCB have their home strength back
The hosts have also recently been able to rely more on the home bonus again. Three of the seven home victories this season have come in the past four home games. Most recently, the reigning champions from Madrid were defeated 4:2. Coach Xavi also has Gerard Pique at his disposal again. The 35-year-old returns to the defence after overcoming his suspension.
Nevertheless, it can be said that despite the successful season with nine unbeaten league games (5-4-0), the defence has been a little shaky lately. Only two of these games ended with a clean sheet on the part of last year’s third-placed team.
Against this backdrop and the visitors’ recent powerful attack, betting on more than 2.5 goals in the clash between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao is also worth considering. A limit that has always been exceeded in the past three league games of the Catalans – on average even five goals were scored!
Moreover, the duels in the recent past have usually been high-scoring anyway: The additional forecast would only have been unsuccessful in one of the last six encounters!
Predicted Barcelona line-up:
ter Stegen – Pique – Araujo – Garcia – Alba – de Jong – Busquets – Gavi – Dembele – Aubameyang – Torres
Last matches played by Barcelona:
Europa League Final Stage
02/24 2022 – SSC Napoli 2 – 4 Barcelona
LaLiga
02/20 2022 – Valencia 1 – 4 Barcelona
Europa League Final Stage
02/17 2022 – Barcelona 1 – 1 SSC Napoli
LaLiga
02/13 2022 – Espanyol 2 – 2 Barcelona
02/06 2022 – Barcelona 4 – 2 Atletico Madrid
Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form
Bilbao can rely on Iker Muniain in particular at the moment. The 29-year-old has contributed an assist in each of the last three games in league play and Copa del Rey. He also scored in the recent emphatic 4-0 win in the Basque derby against arch-rivals Real Sociedad. Muniain is particularly looking forward to the upcoming opponent.
The striker scored a brace in coach Marcelino Garcia’s side’s recent cup tie, and was instrumental in their 3-2 home win and passage to the next round of the Copa del Rey.
On top of that, top scorer Oihan Sancet is already back in scoring form after returning from injury with goals in two of the past three league games.
Williams can score after all
The last match against Real Sociedad was also pleasing for Iñaki Williams, who together with Sancet leads the Leones’ internal scoring charts. After about two months, the 27-year-old was finally able to enter his name on the score sheet again. The long-awaited goal after eleven unsuccessful attempts should have given him new self-confidence.
Last season’s tenth-placed team can also rely on its strong defence: Only the two teams at the top of the table, Real Madrid and Sevilla, concede fewer goals than the country’s eight-time champions.
Furthermore, the home side will probably not go into the break with a lead, as the Basques have already drawn seven of their 13 away games by half-time – the highest number in a league-wide comparison!
Predicted line-up of Athletic Bilbao:
Simon – Nunez – Vivian – Balenziaga – Lekue Martinez – Muniain – Vesga – Garcia – Zarraga – Sancet – Garcia
Last matches played by Athletic Bilbao:
LaLiga
02/20 2022 – Athletic Bilbao 4 – 0 San Sebastian
02/14 2022 – Mallorca 3 – 2 Athletic Bilbao
Copa del Rey
02/10 2022 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 1 Valencia
LaLiga
02/07 2022 – Athletic Bilbao 2 – 1 Espanyol
Copa del Rey
02/03 2022 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 0 Real Madrid
Barcelona – Athletic Bilbao Direct comparison / H2H record
As described, the last direct duel took place around a month ago in the Copa del Rey. On that occasion, the 23-time Spanish Cup winners, second only to their upcoming opponents with 31 victories, beat Barca 3-2 after extra time.
The Basques repeated their victory in the Spanish Super Cup a little over a year ago with exactly the same game! In league play, on the other hand, the visitors have been without a win for four matches (0-1-3).
Barcelona – Athletic Bilbao Tip
The 26-time Spanish champions have been consistent of late and have not lost a league game since early December. Furthermore, the tight personnel situation in attack was solved to some extent by the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabonese also showed his class once before with a hat-trick on the last matchday. In addition, he scored in the match against Napoli in the Europa League last Thursday night, when the Catalans prevailed 4-2 and booked their ticket to the next round.
For the match between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, however, the tip is for a goal on both sides. The home side, as mentioned, already had to play a match in the Europa League this week, which is why their defensive work is now not quite physically fresh.
In addition, the “Rojiblancos” are currently in a strong form and the recent cup win against the FCB has shown that the Basques are on a par with their opponents.
Another factor in favour of the prediction is that the hosts’ defence still does not look solid. Two clean sheets in the past nine league games not lost support this verdict. Last but not least, the statistics of the pairing support the prediction: Only one of the past six duels did not end with goals on both sides.
