Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 38 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, May 25th at Estadio San Mames, Bilbao.
Athletic have achieved new success, though not everything went to plan. The Basques reunited with Ernesto Valverde in 2022. Initially, his return yielded little — modest Osasuna even denied their neighbors a place in European competition. However, last spring they silenced the critics by winning their first Copa del Rey since 1984, ending a 40-year drought. They also secured a strong 5th-place finish in La Liga. This season, Williams and company have again been solid overall. They didn’t impress in the cup competitions, and while their Europa League run showed promise, it ended abruptly with two heavy defeats to a struggling Manchester United — just one step short of a dream final at San Mamés. In La Liga, they managed to stay slightly ahead of last year’s pace, although Villarreal closed the gap dangerously in the spring. Fortunately, with Spain securing five Champions League spots this season, the pressure eased — and Athletic responded with back-to-back clean-sheet wins over Getafe and Valencia.
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Barcelona made major strides this campaign — a stark contrast to last year when they finished without silverware and parted ways with Xavi. Still, many credit him for laying the groundwork, particularly by integrating young talents like Lamine Yamal. That youthful core has matured and blossomed, playing a key role in Barcelona's domestic dominance. However, inconsistency cost them dearly in Europe — two chaotic 3-3 draws with Inter Milan ended in heartbreak with a decisive goal conceded in extra time. Domestically, they rebounded by overturning a 0-2 deficit in El Clásico against Real Madrid, a win that effectively sealed the league title. Before that, they had already beaten Los Blancos in both the Supercopa and Copa del Rey finals — a superb start to Hansi Flick’s tenure. The title was officially clinched with a derby win over Espanyol, though the following match saw a surprising loss to Villarreal as focus started to drift.
Barcelona are unbeaten against Athletic since 2020, and under Flick, they’ve already defeated the Basques twice this season. Barcelona are favourites, but given the circumstances, the hosts might just avoid defeat in this clash.
Prediction for the match: Athletic Bilbao not to lose.
