- Barcelona have won four consecutive home games, scoring 2.75 goals per game on average.
- Los Leones have won five and lost three of their eight away matches in all competitions, conceding at an average of 1.00 goals per away game.
- Barça have a perfect record in the last five meetings between the two clubs, winning all five meetings across all competitions.
Barca to roll over Bilbao?
The odds suggest this will be a relatively tight contest on Thursday with Barça the clear odds-on favourite at 1.4, Bilbao 6.75 and the draw 4.85. The market has the visitors at a decent price, but there's an air of superiority about Barça at the moment that suggests a home win is more likely.
Barça have won three and lost two of their last five games and enter this fixture on the back of a two-game winning streak. Their most recent results are a 1-0 defeat at Udinese, a 5-2 victory at Basel and a 2-1 home victory against Al Ahly, which should be enough to have them sharp for the fixture.
Los Leones have been inconsistent of late, winning two, drawing one and losing two of their last five. The Basque side have just three away defeats in all competitions, but their two straight losses were away at Marseille and Atalanta.
Bilbao can’t stop Barca
Edin Terzić has made his Athletic side a dangerous side to play against thanks to his flexible pressing game and quick transitions, but Bilbao might not have the pace or potency to keep up with Barcelona's tempo if this game becomes open.
In truth, Barça should come out on top in this fixture and that is the top choice as the main selection, while taking Over 2.5 goals at 1.5 and Both Teams To Score at 1.7 is the alternative. Hansi Flick's men have been lethal in transition and their wide full-backs are giving the team a lift in attack, while Hamza Abdelkarim has been their sparkplug, having scored four of their nine goals in the past five games.
Barça have a dominance in the head-to-head which can't be ignored as they have won all five of the most recent meetings and the visitors have failed to win on their last trip to Barcelona.
