Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 27 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, March 7th at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
Athletic Bilbao reunited with Ernesto Valverde once again, but while the previous couple of seasons were quite successful, the current one has been much tougher and frankly disappointing so far. Only in the Copa del Rey did the recent winners manage to reach the semifinals, but even there they lost the first home match to Real Sociedad. The return leg in San Sebastián ended with the same 0–1 scoreline. Before that, the team had already conceded plenty of goals against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and failed in their return to the Champions League, not reaching the knockout stage. Their recent league form has been slightly more encouraging, with a few wins helping them stabilize results after a difficult stretch. Still, consistency has remained an issue, and they have struggled to build a solid winning run in recent weeks. As a result, only La Liga remains, where after a bright start they also suffered many defeats. Yes, in the latest rounds there were several wins, including one against Elche. But in the most recent match they managed only a draw with Rayo Vallecano.
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Barcelona spoiled a lot for themselves with an unsuccessful stretch. The Blaugrana, under Hansi Flick, won all three domestic Spanish competitions. Naturally, they were preparing for new triumphs this season as well. They passed the main round of the Champions League quite confidently and, unlike their Basque opponents, will only now begin their playoff campaign. In January they also defended the Spanish Super Cup title, defeating Real Madrid after beating the Basques earlier in the tournament. However, their recent performances have been somewhat uneven, with occasional slip-ups allowing rivals to stay within reach in the standings. Even so, they have quickly responded with important victories that helped restore their advantage in the title race. Still, a couple of setbacks against Real Sociedad and Girona allowed Real Madrid to overtake them in La Liga. However, the “Whites” immediately managed to lose twice in a row themselves. Meanwhile, Barcelona defeated both Levante and Villarreal, once again creating a comfortable gap from their only real rival. In the Copa del Rey, though, the semifinal brought an even more painful blow — a 0–4 defeat in Madrid against Atletico Madrid. At home they scored three times by the middle of the second half, but then seemed to lose momentum and never completed a full comeback, leaving the tournament just one step away from the final.
The Basques last won this clash in 2020. Since then, they have lost five meetings in a row. The visitors are in good form — they should be able to defeat the Basques even in their own fortress.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
