FC Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Match Preview And Prediction 27/02/2022

Thanks to a remarkable resurgence under Xavi, Barcelona find themselves fourth in La Liga as they prepare to do battle with Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

The Catalans have climbed the standings over the past few months. They currently sit four points behind third-place Real Betis with a game in hand on all the teams around them.  Meanwhile, Athletico Bilbao are sitting in eighth place – five points behind Barcelona. They have also upped their game of late.

Barcelona head into Sunday’s clash on a nine-game unbeaten streak in La Liga, having collected five wins and four draws since their last loss. Xavi’s side thrashed Valencia 4-1 last weekend, with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netting a hat-trick.

Looking at the broader picture, the Catalans have lost just one of their past 14 La Liga matches – securing seven wins and six draws in the process. It is also worth noting that Barca have scored over 1.5 goals in each of their previous three league outings, netting a combined total of ten goals along the way.

On the flip side, Athletic Bilbao are also enjoying a solid run at the moment – having lost only one of their last six La Liga encounters. Marcelino’s men have won three of their past four league games and have also won four of their previous six.

That said, Athletico have drawn far too many matches this season. Having registered ten draws in 25 games, they have the second-highest draw tally in the division. Still, it is worth pointing out that only the top two teams – Real Madrid and Sevilla – boast a better defensive record than Bilbao.

Head-to-head: Athletic Bilbao have failed to win any of their last seven meetings with Barcelona across all competitions. In the previous seven encounters between the two sides, Barcelona have claimed four wins – scoring over 1.5 goals on three occasions.

Team news:

Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti, Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, Clement Lenglet and Alex Balde are all currently injured for Barcelona.

By contrast, Athletico Bilbao have just one injury absentee at the moment. 19-year-old winger Nico Williams is sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Although Bilbao have secured some impressive results recently, Barcelona are expected to flex their muscles and extend their hot streak on Sunday. I fancy Barcelona to score over 1.5 match goals.