Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Barcelona come into this game after a huge 2-1 win at the Vicente Calderon in the Copa del Rey. It puts them in pole position to land at least some silverware this season but their 4 point deficit on Real Madrid, having played a game more, will be of more immediate priority here. With home advantage, they should win this game but Athletic are a side with a goal or two in them so it seems highly likely they will also net in this fixture.

Both teams have scored in 60% of Barcelona matches this season and 65% of Athletic Bilbao games in La Liga. It also happened in both meetings between the sides last month in the Copa del Rey, when the Basques gave Barca a bit of a scare but eventually succumbed to a 4-3 aggregate defeat. With Iniesta and Busquets missing this time, the hosts lack control in the middle of the park so Athletic should have more of the ball this time around and ought to be able to create opportunities for their forwards.

Athletic’s overall away record is still very poor though. They average 0.89 points per game on their travels compared to well over 2 at San Mames. 56% of their away league games this term have ended in defeat so it’s hard to make a case for them getting a result at Camp Nou and they’ve only won one of their last five games overall, so their form isn’t that impressive.

Barcelona dropped points at Real Betis last weekend but that win at the Vicente Calderon will have been a huge boost to morale. With a 2-1 advantage in the tie, they probably don’t need to worry about resting anyone here with an eye on Tuesday’s 3nd leg, although there may be some rotation given it’s not entirely clear what their strongest side is right now.

Bizarrely, Barcelona currently only have the 10th best home record in La Liga but some early season slip-ups were mostly responsible for that. They’ve won their last 6 at home in all competitions, scoring a massive 28 goals in those games. With 7 goals in his last 7 games, Luis Suarez really looks to be heading towards top form now and when he’s hot, he goes through spells where he is netting at least 2 goals per game on a regular basis. Therefore, backing Luis Suarez to score twice or more at 21/10 could be worth a flutter here.

Backing Barcelona to win outright at Camp Nou never generates the best of odds but given both teams have scored in all of Barcelona’s last 3 matches and 6 of their last 9 and given Athletic have plenty of attacking weapons, taking a punt on Barcelona to Win & Both Teams to Score at 11/10 looks a good shout here.