Athletic Club Bilbao - Barcelona predictions and free betting tips [03/03/2024]

Today as a part of the 27th tour of the Spanish Primera, "Athletic Bilbao" will host "Barcelona" in their home field. The Basques are in the fifth place in the league table, trailing three points behind the higher-placed "Atletico," while Xavi's team has secured the third place, and a win could reduce the gap from the leading "Real" to six points.

Predicted Lineups

Athletic: Simon; De Marcos, Yeray, Paredes, Lekue; Ruiz de Galarreta, Prados; I Williams, Sunset, Berenger; Guruzeta.
Barcelona: Ter Stegan; Kunde, Araujo, I. Martinez, Cancelo; F. de Jong, Christensen, Gundogan; Rafinha, Lewandowski, Pedri.

Athletic

Last week, "Athletic" from Bilbao met "Atletico Madrid" in the Copa del Rey, and the "Lions" thrashed the "Atleti" on their field, securing a ticket to yet another final after two previous in the last four years. In the championship, Ernesto Valverde's wards are fighting for a spot in the Champions League quartet and are in the fifth place, trailing only three points behind "Atletico Madrid". However, the Basques suffered a disappointing defeat last weekend, losing 3:1 against "Betis", likely due to being outnumbered after 40 minutes of play (Niko Williams was sent off the field). This stumble was untimely, as the team was in a respectable six-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, including victories over "Girona" (3:2) and "Mallorca" (4:0) a few weeks earlier.

This season, Valverde's team ranks third in La Liga for home performances, gathering 32 points in 13 matches with 10 wins. Niko Williams (3 goals, 6 assists in La Liga) will be disqualified tonight, as will Daniel Vivian (for accumulation of yellow cards), and Ander Herrera, Alvarez, and Berchiche are all injured and won't participate in the impending match. Lekue (2 assists in La Liga this season) also continues his recovery in the infirmary. On the other hand, the coaching staff can count on Berenger (6 goals in La Liga), Inaki Williams (9 goals, 3 assists), and Guruzeta (9 goals), who will be in the starting lineup, with Yeray Alvarez replacing Vivian in the Lions' defence.

Barcelona

The reigning Spanish champions are in a precarious position regarding the title, likely to concede it to their arch-rivals "Real Madrid". The "Whites" currently have a 9-point advantage over the Catalans, but the blue-garnets have a game in hand - any slight mistake could very well crush the "Blau Grana"'s hopes. Since Xavi announced his departure from the head coach post at the end of the season in January, "Barcelona" remains undefeated in the championship, clinching four victories in the last five tours. Last weekend, the Catalans thrashed "Getafe" 4:0 at home, while in the Champions League 1/8 finals, they recently drew with "Napoli" (1:1) and have a decent chance of triumph in the return clash. "Barca" remains unbeaten away in La Liga, with seven wins and five draws in 12 clashes, which is the third-best result in the division.

In "Barca"'s lineup, Balde and Gavi, who are definitively out of this season due to injury, as well as Marcos Alonso, still recovering from a lower back surgery, are not present. Ferran Torres (7 goals in La Liga) may also remain in Catalonia with a hamstring issue. As for the other players, Xavi is fielding the optimal team led by Polish forward Robert Lewandowski (12 goals, 5 assists in La Liga), who has recently regained his form and reentered the Primera top-scorer race (4 goals behind Bellingham). Felix, Rafinha, Jamal and Pedri will also be responsible for creativity in the attack, while Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will guard the goal.

Head to Head

These teams recently met in the Copa del Rey, where the Basques won at home (4:2). This victory ended a series of four straight victories for the Catalans over the Basques, as in the initial tour of the championship, the blue-garnet had a minimal advantage (1:0).

Match prediction Athletic - Barcelona

Victory in the Copa del Rey semi-finals over "Atletico" can still leave an emotional and physical impact on the "Lions." Given that the Basques haven't defeated "Barcelona" at home in the championship since 2020 (3 losses, 1 draw), a bet on the blue-garnets' victory with zero handicap looks solid. Xavi was able to overcome the January crisis, and previously injured leaders are gradually returning to duty.