Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona Prediction & Betting Tips

Spanish La Liga is back, with the opening match scheduled for this Friday. It will see Athletic Bilbao hosting Barcelona, the last season’s champion. Obviously, the reigning team is the favourite here, but the Basque are famous for playing very well at Estadio San Mames. That’s why you better read the Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona prediction & betting tips before making money with free bets and putting any money on this game!

Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona

Athletic Bilbao

Last season, this team barely missed finishing on a spot that leads to the Europa League qualification. They finished the season with the same number of points as Espanyol, but do to a better h2h score, the team from Barcelona got a chance to compete for a spot in the continental championship.

But, that might be a good thing actually. This way, Athletic Bilbao can focus only on La Liga (and perhaps the cup), instead of fighting on several fronts at the same time. Their squad is pretty much the same as last year, although many of their players are well over thirty, so competing in several different competitions could be too exhausting for them.

Not matter which Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona prediction you take a look at, you will see that the away team is a huge favorite. However, the hosts are famously very tough to break when playing on their turf. Last season in La Liga, they won 9 home games, in comparison to only 4 away from home.

They didn’t beat Barcelona, but they did play draw with them. Actually, both of their meetings ended in draws. Athletic Bilbao are hoping the same might happen this time as well. But, it’s not only up to them; Barca will have their say as well. And Barcelona’s say matters more!

Barcelona

They did win La Liga last season, but the management wasn’t too pleased about this team getting knocked out of the Champions League relatively soon. They want big titles and that’s why they decided to splash big money during the summer. Barcelona has made some really awesome signings and considering that the transfer window is not yet closed in Spain, they might bring in a few more superstars.

But, even if they don’t, they certainly have a squad capable of winning major trophies. The biggest addition to the club over the summer was Antoine Griezmann, who joined Barca from Atletico Madrid for a fee of 120 million Euro. Frenkie de Jong also came to Barcelona. For his transfer, they paid €75M to Ajax. A few other signings were made over the summer and even more importantly, none of their key men has left the club.

This means that Barcelona are much stronger than the last season, which is why it’s pretty obvious what our Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona betting tips are gonna be. We’re gonna suggest betting on the away team as Barca is probably the strongest team in the world.

Team News

Athletic Bilbao absentees:

  • None

Barcelona absentees:

  • Neto (injury)
  • Lionel Messi (doubtful)

Possible Lineups

Athletic Bilbao

Unai Simon – Yeray, Inigo Martinez, Capa, Yuri – Unai Lopez, Dani Garcia, Raul Garcia – Munianin, Inigo Cordoba, Williams

Barcelona

Ter Stegen – Pique, Umtiti, Semedo, Alba – Busquets, Arthur, Rakitic – Dembele, Griezmann, Suarez

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona Prediction

Even though Athletic are known as a tough nut to break, especially when playing at home, Barca players are just much, much better. The away team seems incredibly strong and they’re willing to demonstrate their power in La Liga opener. That’s why it’s fair to expect a big away victory.

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona Betting Tips

  • Barcelona @1.72 (UNIBET)
  • Over 2.5 Goals @1.79 (1XBET)

Feel free to comment this article

About the Author

Tesla

Tesla is the football betting analyst and tipster. I'm in this more than 17 years, so you can follow my FREE football betting tips and predictions and make a good decision before you place your bets.