Barcelona vs Ath Bilbao prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-10-22 19:00.
Three first-half goals within ten-minutes gave Barcelona a 3-0 La Liga (LL) win over Villarreal on Thursday, allaying fears of spiralling form after a troubling week which saw their UEFA Champions League (UCL) progression hopes severely dented before a 3-1 El ClĂĄsico defeat to Real Madrid. Barca manager Xavi was impressed with the strong âreactionâ but his side must now keep their foot on the pedal, as a three-point gap has now emerged between themselves and Real Madrid in a fascinating LL title race.
Having not lost at home to Athletic Bilbao since November 2001 (W17, D3), Barcelona are likely to feel confident of gaining further momentum this weekend. The Catalans are yet to concede a league goal at Spotify Nou Camp this campaign (W4, D1) and after Thursdayâs win over Villarreal, the hosts have the opportunity to win five consecutive top-flight home games âto-nilâ for the first time since August 1997.
An entertaining 2-2 draw at Getafe on Tuesday extended Athleticâs winless run to three games (D2, L1), which has dragged them down to sixth in the table after ten games played. While it still remains their best ten-game start to a top-flight campaign since 2013/14, when they finished fourth, Athletic wouldnât want to risk another loss here that could potentially see them pushed out of the top-six.
Coach Ernesto Valverde carries baggage with these opponents, having lost a personal joint-high number of matches against Barcelona (15). However, his side are one of the few league teams yet to taste away defeat (W2, D2) this campaign, so another quick start could see him set the record straight, with Athletic netting the match opener inside ten minutes in two of their last three LL away contests.
Players to watch: Ansu Fati took seven shots against Villarreal, his highest tally in any competition for Barcelona, and also found the net in that triumph. Meanwhile, Iñaki Williams marked his 350th Athletic appearance on Tuesday with a second-minute strike, and now has three goals within the opening two minutes in LL since the start of 2019 – more than any other player!
Hot stat: Six of Barcelonaâs last seven home LL H2H wins came with a clean sheet.