The match preview for Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao leans heavily in favor of Hans-Dieter Flick’s side, but Bilbao is not likely to go down easily.
Match Analysis: Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona faced a challenging start to their La Liga campaign, going behind to Valencia in the 44th minute when Hugo Duro scored for Los Che. However, Robert Lewandowski’s goals in the 45+6 and 49th minutes turned the game around, allowing Flick to begin his tenure as Barcelona’s head coach with a 3-point win.
Barcelona will have a busy August, facing Athletic Bilbao, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Valladolid. It wouldn’t be surprising if they secure maximum points before the international break in September.
Although the season is still early, Real Madrid dropping points in the opener is a positive sign for Barcelona, who are looking to compete with Los Blancos for the La Liga title. Barcelona has made only two signings this summer: Pau Victor and Dani Olmo, but they have been unsuccessful in their pursuit of Nico Williams.
At one point, it seemed Barcelona was close to signing Nico Williams from Bilbao, but the Euro 2024 champion is likely to stay at San Mames. It will be intriguing to see if Williams can inspire Bilbao to win at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys against Barcelona.
Despite Barcelona being favored in the match preview, Bilbao is unlikely to accept defeat easily. The visitors did not perform well against Getafe in their opener, with Oihan Sancet’s goal in the 27th minute not enough to secure a win, resulting in only a single point at San Mames.
Bilbao, who finished 5th in La Liga last season, will be aiming to earn points in matches against direct rivals. To finish in the top 4, they need to secure points in these crucial games.
Bilbao has managed to keep star player Nico Williams so far, but there have been some departures, including Dani Garcia and Iker Muniain. New signings Alvaro Djalo and Andoni Gorosabel have joined the squad, with more new players expected before the transfer window closes. It will be interesting to see how Bilbao performs this season. In their last encounter with Barcelona in March, the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Bilbao has not won away against Barcelona in La Liga since November 2001.
Barcelona will still be missing four players due to injury: Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi. Dani Olmo is expected to be registered in time to debut for Barcelona this weekend but might start on the bench. Pedri, who has recovered from injury, is likely to play in the number 10 role. Three 17-year-olds, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Bernal, and Lamine Yamal, featured in the game against Valencia and might be included in the starting lineup against Bilbao. Ilkay Gundogan is on his way back to Manchester City, having agreed to leave Barcelona on a free transfer.
For Bilbao, Nico Williams, who came on as a substitute against Getafe, is expected to return to the starting lineup against Barcelona, potentially replacing Alex Berenguer. Djalo, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Nico Serrano, Oscar de Marcos, Julen Agirrezabala, and Unai Simon are currently unavailable, while Aitor Paredes’s participation is uncertain due to a muscle issue from the Getafe match. Mexican goalkeeper Alex Padilla, 20, is preparing for another appearance, while new signing Gorosabel will continue at right-back.
Match Predictions: Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao
- Barcelona to win: Barcelona is the favored team, but they have struggled in recent encounters with Bilbao. In their last three La Liga meetings, Barcelona faced difficulties, including a 0-0 draw and two 1-0 wins. Barcelona will be eager to win their first home game of the La Liga season and are likely to overcome the challenge.
- Under 3 goals: The last three La Liga matches between these teams saw only 2 goals in total, including one 0-0 draw and two 1-0 victories for Barcelona. Bilbao’s defensive approach makes it challenging for Barcelona to attack relentlessly. A similar scenario could repeat, with the game potentially featuring few goals.
Predicted Score: Barcelona 1-0 Bilbao