La Liga Preview: Barca Has a Clear Advantage in Previous Encounters, Athletic Bilbao Likely to Struggle Away from Home

On August 25 at 1:00 AM, the second round of the 24/25 La Liga season kicks off, with Barcelona making their home debut against visiting Athletic Bilbao.

Barcelona had a disappointing season last year, failing to win any major titles, leading to the dramatic departure of Xavi as coach, and Flick taking over. The Blaugrana hopes for revival. During the summer transfer window, Barcelona was heavily linked with Nico Williams but ultimately failed to complete the signing, instead bringing in Olmo from RB Leipzig for 60 million euros.

However, due to salary cap issues, Barcelona could not register Olmo, resulting in Gundogan leaving on a free transfer, returning to Manchester City after one year. Although the transfer window was somewhat disappointing, Barcelona started the new season strong by overturning Valencia 2-1 in their first match. Real Madrid’s away draw of 1-1 with Mallorca gave Barcelona an early advantage in the season.

Athletic Bilbao finished fifth in La Liga last season and won the Copa del Rey after a 40-year drought. They will be competing on two fronts this season. They successfully persuaded the standout performer from the Euros, Nico Williams, to stay with the team, taking over the number 10 shirt left by Muniain. Athletic Bilbao continued their strategy of minor adjustments during the offseason, spending only 15 million euros to sign Álvaro Vadillo from Braga.

However, Athletic Bilbao’s performance in their first game of the new season was unsatisfactory, drawing 1-1 with Getafe, failing to secure an opening victory.

In the last ten rounds of La Liga, Barcelona achieved eight wins and two losses, with a win rate of 80%, scoring 21 goals and keeping five clean sheets, conceding nine goals. In the same period, Athletic Bilbao only managed three wins, four draws, and three losses, with a win rate of 30%, scoring 12 goals and conceding 12, averaging 1.2 goals conceded per game, and keeping three clean sheets.

Considering only home performances, Barcelona has eight wins, one draw, and one loss in their last ten La Liga home games. Their last defeat at the Olympic Stadium was on January 28 this year, losing 3-5 to Villarreal. Since then, they have seven wins and one draw in eight matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding only two in their last six league home games, keeping five clean sheets. This shows that Barcelona is undoubtedly a formidable force at home.

Athletic Bilbao’s away form in their last ten La Liga matches has been average, with three wins, two draws, and five losses, losing half of their games, including defeats to Valencia, Betis, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Celta Vigo. Moreover, Athletic Bilbao’s away goal-scoring ability is average, scoring only eight goals in these ten matches.

In the last ten encounters between the two sides, Barcelona has won six times, while Athletic Bilbao has only two wins, with two draws. Considering only La Liga matches, Barcelona has a greater advantage, winning seven out of the last ten meetings, drawing twice, and losing once. The last time Barcelona lost a league match to Athletic Bilbao was in 2019, when Messi was still part of the squad.

More notably, in the last 22 La Liga home matches against Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona has won 19 and drawn three, remaining unbeaten. Their last home league defeat to the Basque Lions dates back to November 2001. Therefore, Barcelona has a significant psychological advantage from any perspective. Whether they can achieve two consecutive wins remains to be seen.

>>For more predictions and analysis, click >>>