Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona Prediction & Betting Tips

San Mames hosts Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona in the late Sunday kickoff in La Liga. Both sides are deep in the battle for a spot in the Champions League next season, needing a big three points this weekend.

The race for European football next season is heating up, with Barcelona looking to reel in Girona and Athletic Bilbao aiming to leapfrog Atletico Madrid into the Champions League spots.

Athletic Bilbao currently sit fifth in La Liga after 26 games. Bilbao have 14 wins, seven draws and five losses, leaving Bilbao on 49 points, three points from Atletico Madrid in the last Champions League spot.

Bilbao have been in form in front of the goal, scoring 46 goals in 26 games. At the other end of the pitch, Bilbao have been even better, conceding just 26 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets.

Barcelona sit just above Athletic Bilbao in second in La Liga. In 26 games, Barcelona have 17 wins, five draws and three losses which leaves them on 57 points, eight points from top of the league Real Madrid.

In front of goal this season, Barcelona have been on fire. In 26 games, Barcelona have scored 56 goals, the most in La Liga. However, defensively, Barcelona have struggled, conceding 34 goals and keeping six clean sheets.

Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona have met 50 times since 2008. Barcelona dominates the fixture with 32 wins in comparison to Bilbao’s six wins. In fact, a draw is more common than a Bilbao win, with there being double the amount of wins, with 12 draws so far.

In the last five games in this fixture there have been four Barcelona wins and just one Bilbao win. Despite there only being one game in the last five with both teams on the scoresheet, the defensive records for both sides this season would suggest both will be on the scoresheet this weekend.

Athletic Bilbao Team News

Ernesto Valverde only has one injury to manage currently, that being to Ander Herrera, who picked up a hamstring injury in mid-February.

Barcelona Team News

Xavi, on the other hand, has Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Marcos Alonso and Ferran Torres all unavailable this weekend.

In their last five games in all competitions, Athletic Bilbao have won three, drawn one and lost one.

A brace from Yuri Berchiche gave Bilbao an early lead in the third minute and then the 2 - 0 lead over Mallorca at halftime. Gorka Guruzeta and Iker Muniain both scored in the second half to secure the 4 - 0 win for Bilbao.

The first leg of the Copa del Rey Semi-final saw Athletic Bilbao take on Atletico Madrid. A 25th-minute penalty from Alejandro Berenguer Remiro was the only goal of the game for Athletic Bilbao as they took home a 1 - 0 win and a lead in the Semi-final.

Back in La Liga, Bilbao travelled to bottom of the league Almeria. Despite Almeria going down to ten men in the 53rd minute with the red card to Largie Ramazani and Bilbao having 62% of the possession and 12 shots, both sides would have to settle for a 0 - 0 draw.

Bilbao bounced back with a big win over second-place Girona. Remiro opened the scoring for Bilbao in the second minute to give them the 1 - 0 lead at halftime. Girona equalised just four minutes into the second half through Viktor Tsyhankov, but another goal from Remiro and a goal from Inaki Williams gave Athletic Bilbao the 3 - 1 lead. Eric Garcia did grab another goal for Girona, but Bilbao held on for the 3 - 2 win.

Athletic Bilbao took on Real Betis on Sunday. A goal from Ezequiel Avila and an own goal from Yuri Berchiche gave Real Betis the early 2 - 0 lead. Despite the red card to Nico Williams, Guruzeta grabbed a goal for Bilbao before halftime. However, a goal from Johnny Cardoso wrapped up the 3 - 1 win for Betis.

Bilbao will play the second leg of their Copa del Rey Semi-final tie against Atlético Madrid on Thursday.

In their last five games in all competitions, Barcelona have three wins and two losses.

Robert Lewandowski gave Barcelona the 1 - 0 lead at halftime, with Ilkay Gundogan doubling Barcelona’s lead just four minutes into the second half. Samu Omorodion got Alaves on the scoresheet and after his goal, Vitor Roque was sent off. However, Barcelona still held on for the 3 - 1 win.

The next time out for Barcelona was a six-goal thriller against Granada. Lamine Yamal’s first goal gave Barcelona the early lead but Ricard Sanchez equalised for Granada before halftime. Facundo Pellistri then gave Granada the lead but Lewandowski’s goal just three minutes later levelled the game again. Ignasi Miquel regained the lead for Granada but Yamal’s second goal forced the 3 - 3 draw.

Lewandowski was on the scoresheet again for Barcelona, giving them the lead on the stroke of halftime. Iago Aspas drew Celta Vigo level just two minutes into the second half, but a penalty from Lewandowski in the 97th minute grabbed a 2 - 1 win for Barcelona.

The first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 saw Barcelona take on Napoli. Lewandowski scored yet again for Barcelona, giving them the lead in the 60th minute but a goal from Victor Osimhen saw the game finish 1 - 1.

The most recent outing for Barcelona was against Getafe. Raphinha, Joao Felix, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez all scored in the dominant 4 - 0 win over Getafe.

Barcelona have the far superior record in this fixture, making them the likely candidate for the win on the weekend. However, Barcelona have been weaker defensively this season and will still concede. Athletic Bilbao 2-3 Barcelona

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Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona will be broadcasted via Viaplay Sports but can also be followed online via BBC Sport or Sky Sports.

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