Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona predictions and betting tips – Blaugrana title favourites again

With Real Madrid stuttering in the La Liga title race, Barcelona are once again the favourites to end the season at the summit of the standings. 

Hansi Flick’s side must not take anything for granted, however. There is still a lot of football to be played this term. Will Athletic Bilbao do Madrid a favour this weekend?

• Barcelona to win – 13/20 with Betway
• Under 3.5 goals – 4/6 with 247Bet
• Ferran Torres to score any time – 23/20 with Ladbrokes

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona odds

Find the latest Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona predictions

In the end, they were not far away. Barcelona did not quite need a miracle on Tuesday night, but overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit in the Copa del Rey semi-finals always looked like a tall order.

And so it proved, but Barcelona went down fighting. A 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid was not enough for them to secure a place in the final, but it did in some way make up for that torrid night in the capital for the first leg of the tie.

The aggregate deficit had been halved by the interval, with Barcelona 2-0 up midway through the match at the Camp Nou. Marc Bernal added a third in the 72nd minute and Barca continued to push thereafter, but Atletico held on for dear life.

Taken as a standalone game, it was a dominant display from Hansi Flick’s men. Barca outshot Atletico 21-7, with nine of their attempts finding the target. They racked up an xG of 3.1 compared to just 0.62 for their opponents.

“We’re disappointed, but also proud of what we saw,” Flick said afterwards, summing up the mood among the fan base. “It was an incredible match. We created so many chances. But ultimately, it didn’t happen.

“[We are going] Step by step. There’s a long road ahead, in La Liga and the Champions League. We have to focus on what’s next, which is Bilbao and Newcastle, two very strong teams. It’s about recovery. The quality, we can see it is there.”

Flick is right to focus on what lies ahead for Barcelona, because their season will be defined by whether or not they are successful in their pursuit of two other pieces of silverware.

The situation looks promising in La Liga. After back-to-back losses to Osasuna and Getafe, Real Madrid now trail Barcelona by four points, at least at the time of writing (the Blancos play before their arch-rivals this weekend).

Madrid are also suffering the effects of an injury crisis which has left them without, among others, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and most of their central defenders.

Barcelona will aim to take advantage of Madrid’s struggles, but that will only be possible if they continue to take care of their own business. 

A trip to Athletic Bilbao is never entirely straightforward, so Barca must ensure they are focused on the task at hand.

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona betting tips

La Liga leaders Barcelona are back in action against Athletic Bilbao this weekend.

Barcelona should win this

Athletic Bilbao were also involved in Copa del Rey action in midweek, losing 1-0 to Real Sociedad to complete a 2-0 aggregate defeat.

They are now ready to turn their attention back to La Liga, where they are in the mix for the European places.

Athletic are currently ninth in the table, but they are only a point adrift of seventh and five behind Celta Vigo in fifth.

The Basque outfit are unbeaten in their last five La Liga outings, but they are still clear underdogs against Barcelona.
With the quality they have available in the final third, the Blaugrana should come out on top here.

Choose Barcelona win at 13/20 with Betway

Goals may not flow

Barcelona are the highest scorers in La Liga. They have made the net ripple 71 times so far this season, 17 more than the next best Real Madrid.

Yet we will probably not see a free-flowing, goal-laden encounter at San Mames on Saturday night. Athletic Bilbao will make it their priority to disrupt Barcelona’s rhythm. 

There have been under 3.5 goals in five of Athletic’s last six La Liga matches. More surprisingly, perhaps, that has also been the case in three of Barcelona’s last four outings in the league.

On top of that, our recommended bet has paid out in five consecutive La Liga clashes between these two teams at San Mames.

Select under 3.5 goals at 4/6 with 247Bet

Torres our scorer pick

Robert Lewandowski could be involved in some capacity on Saturday, but Flick is unlikely to risk him from the start.

Barcelona will want to have the Poland international fully fit for the upcoming Champions League game against Newcastle United, so in an ideal world they would not have to use him at all this weekend.

That leaves the path clear for Ferran Torres to continue up front, flanked by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Torres is not as talented as either of those wide forwards, but he has scored four more goals than Raphinha this season and is only one behind Yamal.

At odds better than evens, this pick represents good value.

Back Ferran Torres to score any time at 23/20 with Ladbrokes

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona predicted lineups

• Athletic Bilbao expected lineup: Simon; Areso, Vivian, Laporte, Yuri; Jauregizar, Rego; Beenguer, Sancet, Williams; Guruzeta.
• Barcelona expected lineup: J. Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E. Garcia, Balde; Lopez, Pedri, Olmo; Yamal, Torres, Raphinha.

Where to watch Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona

• Location: San Mames, Bilbao, Spain.
• Date and time: Saturday 7th March, 8pm.
• How to watch: Disney+.

More La Liga predictions

We have plenty more La Liga predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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