Barcelona - Athletic Bilbao predictions

The home team is the obvious choice for anyone looking to bet on favourites. The match is not completely one-sided, though, which is why you may actually get worthwhile returns.

Though it may not be particularly attractive to punters, this match is at least easy to predict. Anything but a Home Win is probably wishful thinking for Athletic Bilbao, whose victory has been priced at a hefty 5.43.

The Lions latest performance wasn’t a great show of form for them. They were leading at the half-time mark against Getafe, but the lead melted away as the match progressed. Considering they were tagged as favourites going in, the 1:1 draw is not a great result.

Head-to-head records show a tied game between Barcelona and Athletic in the previous season. As the favourites, Barca would not be happy with another draw and will want to snag the 3 points while they have the opportunity.

With limited means at their disposal, both teams will have to make do with shortened rosters. We’re referring to the fact both teams suffered strings of injuries, rendering a good chunk of both squads unavailable for this match. Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, P. Paez Gaviria, İlkay Gündoğan, Ansu Fati will not be playing for the hosts, while Aitor Paredes, De Marcos, Ruiz de Galarreta, Álvaro Dias Fernandes, Nicolás Serrano Galdeano will be missing on the visiting side.

Our prediction would be a fairly safe Home Win bet at the odds of 1.69. It’s obvious the hosts have a clear advantage going into this clash, and there’s plenty of reasons to feel confident in their success.