Sports Innovation previews the 2021/2022 La Liga Round 2 match between Athletic Club and FC Barcelona and offers team news, key stats and betting tips with the latest odds.
After kicking off the post-Messi era with three points, Barcelona now take a trip to the San Mames to face Athletic Club on Saturday night.
The Blaugrana head to the Basque Country hoping to make it back-to-back wins for the start of their new La Liga campaign following a goal-laden opening day victory over Real Sociedad last weekend.
Athletic, on the other hand, haven’t been in good form recently and played out a dull 0-0 draw with Elche in their first fixture. They’ll need to make home advantage count in this one.
Let’s have a look at the form of both sides and the stats from their previous encounters to come up with a reasonable betting prediction.
Stats and analysis
Athletic Club don’t hold a reputation of being a high-scoring team. Marcelino’s men have only found the back of the net 4 times in the last 10 La Liga fixtures, creating an average of just 0.7 goals per game. But they are very solid in defense, with 9 goals conceded, which is a highly respectable average of 0.9 per game. Strangely enough, they managed just 4 clean sheets in of these matches.
Barcelona, meanwhile, boast a mixed record from their last 10 La Liga fixtures. Ronald Koeman’s side have averaged 2.1 goals per game, scoring 21 goals in the process. In defense, they have conceded a goal 16 times, an average of 1.6 goals per game, and kept only 2 clean sheets.
Stats and facts for Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona.
Fun stats Athletic Bilbao
- Athletic Bilbao did not win the last 5 matches in a row;
- Athletic Bilbao did not win the last 3 matches in a row at home;
- Total goals was UNDER 3.5 in Athletic Bilbao’s last 5 of 7 matches;
- Athletic Bilbao conceded in the last 6 of 8 matches.
Fun stats Barcelona
- Barcelona unbeaten the last 4 matches in a row when playing away;
- Barcelona scored in the last 33 of 35 matches;
- Barcelona scored the last 15 matches in a row when playing away;
- Total goals was OVER 2.5 in Barcelona’s last 8 of 10 matches.
Form Guides
Athletic Club will enter the match hoping to finally end their dismal run of form in recent matches. Combining results from the old and the new season, Marcelino’s men first achieved a 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid and went on to a 2-0 defeat against Elche. Their latest game produced a 0-0 draw with Elche.
Barcelona will be out to extend their fine run of results lately. Combining results from the old and the new season, Ronald Koeman’s side first achieved a 2-1 defeat against Celta Vigo and went on to a 1-0 win against Eibar. Their latest game produced a 4-2 win against Real Sociedad.
Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona Fixture History
The last time the two clubs squared up against each other, which was back on 31 January 2021, Barcelona ran away with a 2-1 victory.
Athletic go into their upcoming match against Barcelona with a 1-2-7 record in recent meetings in La Liga.
Top goalscorer
Athletic Club will be looking to Inaki Williams to find the net once again. He is on 1 goal of their last 6 matches. It has been a great season for Martin Braithwaite who bagged 2 goals for Barcelona last weekend and the Dane will hope to continue his excellent form on Saturday.
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