Prediction: Barcelona to win 2-1
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Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao will lock horns with each other in La Liga this coming weekend. The match between Hansi Flick’s team and Ernesto Valverde’s side will be held at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and is scheduled to kick off at 6 pm UK time this coming Saturday.
Barcelona
Barcelona are one of the biggest clubs in the world and are a Spanish giant. However, in recent years, the Blaugrana have not been at their best and have struggled financially. It is hard to envisage Barcelona winning the UEFA Champions League anytime soon, and even beating Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title will be hard.
The Blaugrana finished second in the La Liga table last season, but for a major chunk of the campaign, it looked like they may not end up in the top four of the standings. Barca failed to do much of note in the UEFA Champions League either.
Barcelona fans will expect much more from the team this season, especially with Hansi Flick now in charge of the team and Spain winning the UEFA Euro 2024 finals in Germany in the summer. The former Spanish and European champions kickedd of their La Liga campaign on a winning note. They edged past Valencia 2-1 away from home this past weekend.
Team News:
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is likely to field a 4-3-3 formation against Athletic Bilbao. Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in goal for the Blaugrana and will have Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde and Jules Konde ahead of him in defence. Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha will be the three forwards. Marc Casado, Marc Bernal and Ferran Torres will be deployed in midfield.
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao are one of the biggest and most traditional clubs in Spain. While the Basque club do not tend to win or even challenge for the La Liga title, they are among those who compete for the top four and aim to play in the UEFA Champions League on a regular basis.
Zuri-gorriak did quite well last season. Bilbao finished the campaign as high as fifth in the La Liga table. They were in the race for the UEFA Champions League spots until the very end and will be keen on going at it again this season.
Ernesto Valverde’s side kicked off their La Liga campaign with a draw. Athletic played out a 1-1 draw with Getafe at Estadio San Mamés in the league this past weekend. It was a disappointing result, but the players will be determined to make amends when they face Barcelona away from home at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys this coming weekend.
Team News:
Athletic Bilbao are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Álex Padilla will be in goal for the Basque giants and is likely to have Andoni Gorosabel, Yeray, Aitor Paredes and Yuri Berchiche ahead of him in defence. Beñat Prados and Mikel Vesga will be the two holding midfielders. Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet and Nico Williams will be the three attacking midfielders. Gorka Guruzeta is likely to lead the line for Bilbao.
Key Factors to Consider
Against Getafe, Athletic Bilbao had 69.1% of the possession.
Against Getafe, Athletic Bilbao had 7 shots of which 4 were on target.
Against Valencia, Barcelona had 64.2% of the possession.
Against Valencia, Barcelona had 18 shots of which 6 were on target.
Against Valencia, Barcelona earned 8 corner kicks.
Conclusion
While Athletic Bilbao have a strong team and will not fazed at the prospect of facing Barcelona, Hansi Flick’s side do have the better team and also have home advantage for the game. While no one should expect Athletic to simply roll over against Barcelona, anything other than a win for Barca will come as a surprise.
Prediction: Barcelona to win 2-1
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