Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction: the Catalans are in better shape than their opponent

Prediction for the La Liga match which will take place on August 24. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Since the first of July, the Catalans have been coached by German Hans Flick, known for his work at Bayern Munich and the German national team. Before the start of the season Barcelona played five friendlies, beat Olot, Manchester City and Real Madrid, but lost to AC Milan and Monaco. In the first round of La Liga 2024/25, the Barça Boys beat Valencia minimally, 2:1, at the Mestalla, thanks to Lewandowski's double. The Catalans played a good start to the match, they scored 2.75 goals on the xG index, had 64 per cent of possession, 18 shots on goal and eight shots on goal.

Before the start of the season, the Basques played seven friendlies, three of which they won with 4 defeats against Burgos, Sporting Lisbon, Aston Villa and Stuttgart, with Athletic losing 0:4 to the Germans. Athletic, unlike Barcelona, the match of the first round of La Liga did not win, the game ended in a 1:1 draw, although the Lions were the first to take the lead in that game, but could not hold the advantage, conceding a goal from Uche in the 64th minute. Moreover, Getafe was better than the opponent in terms of statistics and xG index, it is obvious that the Basques are not 100% ready yet.

Barcelona confidently beat Valencia at the Mestalla, despite the minimal advantage. Whereas Athletic could not beat modest Getafe on their field, moreover, the Citizens were better than the Basques in a number of statistical indicators. We believe that tomorrow Barcelona will achieve a confident victory, the Catalans are in better shape than their opponent, besides, the Basques have recently been a convenient opponent for the Catalans.