Barcelona take on the visitors Athletic Bilbao in the semifinal match of Spanish Super Cup. The match will be played on Wednesday, January 7th at King Abdullah Sports City (Jeddah).
Barcelona managed last season, the first one for Flick in Spain, to win the Super Cup, La Liga, and the Copa del Rey in succession. However, this campaign the “More Than a Club” side have looked far less convincing at times. There was even a moment when reports suggested that Hansi Flick was drained by a series of setbacks. Still, by winter the Catalans clearly pulled themselves together, addressing their earlier inconsistency. As a result, they have practically settled all key questions in the Champions League league phase and, most importantly, capitalized on Real Madrid’s slips to pull away in La Liga, despite losing El Clásico. Starting 2025, they opened the year with a solid 2–0 win in the derby against Espanyol. From a form perspective, Barcelona have been collecting points steadily even without dominating every match. Their recent results show strong efficiency, especially at home, which continues to underpin their position near the top of the table.
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Athletic are struggling after Valverde’s return. The Basque club brought Ernesto Valverde back to San Mamés a couple of years ago. He needed time to settle in and reshape the team, but already in the season before last they won their first Copa del Rey in 40 years, and last season, alongside reaching the Europa League semifinals, they finished fourth in La Liga. This season, however, only the domestic cup run looks relatively positive so far, and even there the opposition has not been particularly demanding. The return to the Champions League has brought a couple of draws amid numerous defeats, making a January push for the playoffs look highly unlikely. On the domestic front, after starting with a few wins, they began dropping points regularly. After the Christmas and New Year break, they once again had to settle for a draw, this time against Osasuna. Recent form suggests that Athletic are lacking consistency and momentum compared to last season. Too many dropped points have slowed their progress, and away performances in particular have not inspired much confidence.
The Catalans have not lost in regular time since 2020 and have won four consecutive Clásico meetings. It is hard to believe in a truly close contest here. The bet is on the “More Than a Club” to secure a win over their long-time rivals in regular time with a -1.0 goals handicap.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win with -1.0 handicap.
