Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao
The La Liga title race is getting tight between El Clasico rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, so every match moving forward is going to be treated as a must-win for both of these teams.
Since Real Madrid are in pole position with 28 points because they’ve yet to lose a game, there’s a bigger sense of urgency at Camp Nou given that Barcelona are trailing behind with 25 points, good for second place.
The Blaugrana recently returned on the winning track and now they’ll face Athletic Bilbao, who are currently at sixth place following a three-game winless run.
But even if the visitors are on a downswing, Barca can’t take the ambitious Los Leones lightly, since they’re not pushovers by any means.
Talking Points
Frenkie de Jong making considerable impact at Barca
While Robert Lewandowski and Ansu Fati were the ones who delivered the goals and La Liga 2022 highlights, it was Frenkie de Jong who has been Barca’s most influential figure in their 3-0 win against Villarreal yesterday.
The Dutch midfielder was perfect in successful dribbles, ground duels won, aerial duels won, long balls completed, cross completed, and was 95-per cent in his passing accuracy.
Villarreal’s forays forward were thwarted mostly by de Jong as he provided sufficient cover for Jules Kounde and makeshift centre-back Marcos Alonso, and he was also great at linking up play for his teammates up front.
Prior to this game, de Jong’s form has been erratic due to inconsistent minutes as Xavi tends to rely more on the likes Gavi, Pedri, and Sergio Busquets to lead his midfield.
But with games coming in thick and fast, Xavi decided to start de Jong here. And given his masterful performance, it would be criminal for the Spanish tactician to not play him more.
Frenkie de Jong has been quite adamant –even before, amid interest from certain Premier League sides last summer – that he wants to stay and prove his worth at Barcelona, although that won’t stop rival clubs from pursuing his signature come January.
Manchester United are reportedly not giving up on their pursuit of Dutchman, while Chelsea and Liverpool are going to be keeping tabs too.
Athletic Bilbao on a mini-slump
The law of averages has finally caught up with Athletic Bilbao. Not too long ago they were in contention for a European spot, but with two draws and one loss in their last three games, they’re in danger of falling out of the top half of the table.
Los Leones weren’t docile to Los Rojiblancos, but Antoine Griezmann’s goal in the 47th minute was enough to see them lose. And then on Wednesday, they wasted points as they were held to a 2-2 stalemate against relegation-threatened Getafe.
Getting a positive response against Barcelona should help them restore their confidence ahead of winnable games against Villarreal, Girona, and Valladolid – who are all below them in the standings.
Inaki Williams – who recently made his 350th appearance for Los Leones – has been a large thorn for Barca over the past few seasons, so look for him to be aggressive this weekend.
History
Barcelona haven’t lost in 20 consecutive home games against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga (W17, D3). They last tasted defeat at Camp Nou at the hands of Athletic Bilbao way back in November 2001 via a 2-1 scoreline.
The Blaugrana dominated Los Leones in their previous meeting last February with a 4-0 scoreline as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele, Luuk de Jong, and Memphis Depay all found the back of the net.
Following their goalless draw in the opener versus Rayo Vallecano, Xavi’s side have not conceded a league goal at Camp Nou, and they’ve scored in all of their La Liga games so far (24 goals – second-most in Spanish top-flight).
That’s bad news for Athletic Bilbao as Ernesto Valverde’s men have given up goals in six of their last seven fixtures (8).
Betting Tip
The SBOTOP La Liga 2022 odds are backing Barcelona for this one since they’re priced at 1.56 to win, while Athletic Bilbao are at 5.40 and chances for a draw are at 4.20 in the 1X2 market.
The Blaugrana have been formidable at home so far this season. And since they’re the better squad, we believe that their quality will shine through on Sunday evening.
Recent encounters between these two have been high-scoring, so going for Over 2.50 @ 1.67 is not a bad idea, with Barcelona likely to ship in more goals.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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