Table of Contents
FC Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao
Following international football in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, the excitement continues in Europe’s top leagues this weekend. On Sunday, matches of the 26th matchday are scheduled in the Spanish La Liga, among others. The clash between the Catalans and the Basques from Bilbao will take place in Barcelona at 21:00. For both teams, this duel is not exactly unimportant and you can find out who we think will come out on top in our Barcelona – Bilbao tip.
If we take a closer look at the table in Spain’s top division before this duel, we see FC Barcelona currently in 5th place. Xavi’s team has not lost any of its last five games and the gap to Betis Sevilla is only four points. Their upcoming opponents from Bilbao currently have 37 points on their account and that puts the Basques in 8th place.
Barcelona – Bilbao info:
– Date & Time: 27/02/2022, 21:00.
– Venue: Camp Nou (Barcelona)
– Competition: La Liga, Matchday 26
TV broadcast: In Livestream at DAZN
Barcelona Form & Balance Check
When Lionel Messi leaves a team, of course a lot of quality is lost. However, we at FC Barcelona would have thought that the team would cope better with the change of their superstar. After the misunderstanding with coach Koeman, a completely different wind is now blowing at the Catalans. Homegrown Xavi is supposed to lead FC Barcelona back to the top of the world, and the last few weeks have at least encouraged us that this could be the case at some point. Barca have not lost for five games now and have thus worked their way back within reach of the Champions League places.
Withdrawal in Naples
During the week, there was the tough second leg in the Europa League against SSC Napoli. In Italy, the old class of the Catalans flashed again and again and in the end there was a commanding 4:2 victory. In La Liga, too, the 4-1 victory in Valencia on the last matchday was reminiscent of the FC Barcelona of the past. Newcomer Aubameyang almost single-handedly ensured the victory with his hat-trick. Against Bilbao, Barca will now look to build on their performance of the last few weeks and take three points against the Basques as well.
Barcelona facts & analysis
– Unbeaten for 5 games
– Currently 5th place in the league
– Always scored in 12 of the last 13 league games
Bilbao form & balance check
Athletic Bilbao have only one goal and that is to return to international action. Currently, the Basques are in eighth place in the table with 37 points and the gap for the Europa League or Conference League places is only two points and with a win at FC Barcelona, the Basques would be right back in the thick of things. The last matchday saw the Basque derby against Real Sociedad and coach Marcelino’s men came out on top in this explosive clash with a whopping 4-0 win.
Favourite opponents Barcelona
The Basques from Bilbao probably know best how to beat FC Barcelona this season. In the Copa del Rey, these two teams met in the round of 16 and Bilbao narrowly prevailed in the end. In the upcoming match, it will be all about the good defence. With 21 goals conceded, Bilbao have the second best backline in the league after Sevilla FC. Bilbao will probably not get many chances to score and therefore it would be important to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. However, with a meagre 29 goals in attack, the shoe is on the other foot.
Bilbao facts & analysis
– Last game won 4-0 against Real Sociedad.
– Only 21 goals conceded
– Ranked 8th in La Liga
Predicted line-up – last update on 25 February 2022
Barca legend Xavi will not change anything in his starting line-up compared to the game against Napoli. The midfield will again consist of De Jong, Busquets and Pedri. In attack, the Catalans will mainly rely on a lot of speed. The upcoming opponents from Bilbao will also go into the game unchanged and in attack Williams and Garcia are expected to provide the goals.
Barcelona – Bilbao direct comparison & Statistics
Both teams have faced each other an incredible 214 times and Barcelona have won 107 of those games. Bilbao have 72 wins and 35 draws. However, Bilbao won the last match with 3:2 n.V. in the cup.
– The average goals scored in a meeting between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao is 3.8.
– FC Barcelona have lost only 1 match out of their last 5 in La Liga against Athletic Bilbao
– FC Barcelona have scored in each of their last 15 matches
– Jordi Alba has the most assists on goal for FC Barcelona with 6 assists. Athletic Bilbao are led by Iker Muniain (7)
