Athletic vs Barcelona Prediction 8 January 2025

🔊 Which team will manage to reach the final match of the Spanish Super Cup? In just a few days, the Saudi audience will be able to witness the competition of four Spanish clubs. In one of the semifinals, Athletic and Barcelona will face off. This match is set to take place at the "King Abdullah Sports City" stadium in Jeddah. The main referee appointed for this match is Spaniard Miguel Ortiz. Our editorial team conducted a thorough analysis, which formed the basis of this prediction.

📊 H2H

In the past calendar year, Athletic and Barcelona faced each other 3 times. In the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, the “Basques” achieved a spectacular victory after extra time (4:2). However, in La Liga, the “Blaugrana” did not concede (0:0, 2:1).

🔴 ATHLETIC

Just a few days ago, Athletic played their match in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey. Despite a number of difficulties that arose during the confrontation with Logroñés, the “Basques” secured a victory after a penalty shootout (4:3). Now, the unbeaten streak of the club from Bilbao has reached 15 games. Let's recall that Athletic already won the Spanish Super Cup in 2021. Back then, the “Red and Whites” were stronger than two tournament favorites - Real Madrid (2:1) and Barcelona (3:2 after extra time). The top scorers for the “Lions” in all competitions this season are Oihan Sancet (8), Iñaki Williams (8), and Gorka Guruzeta (6).

🔵 BARCELONA

Last Saturday, the “Blaugrana” had a successful rehearsal ahead of the Spanish Super Cup. In the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey, Hansi Flick's men defeated Segunda Federación side Barbastro (4:0). The Catalans are eager to win the tournament, which is set to start in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. After all, last year “Barça” suffered a heavy defeat in the final against Real Madrid (1:4). Among those who will surely not help the club in the upcoming match are Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, and Marc-André ter Stegen. By a wide margin, Barcelona's top scorer is Robert Lewandowski, who has netted 25 goals in all competitions.

⚽️ GOAL PREDICTION

Please note that Athletic and Barça have faced each other 8 times in the Spanish Super Cup. Interestingly, in only two cases were there no more than two goals scored. We complement this thesis with the following trend: in 8 of the last 9 games involving the “Blaugrana,” at least 3 goals were observed. Based on the above arguments, we propose the following bet - total over 2.5 goals.

🚩 CORNER PREDICTION

Ernesto Valverde's team is known for its ability to defend in an organized manner and prevent sharp flank attacks from opponents. Thus, in each of the last 10 matches involving Athletic, no more than 10 corner kicks were recorded. Barcelona suffers from a large number of injuries. This forces Flick to seek alternative ways to improve attacking play. The injury to Lamine Yamal is particularly disappointing. In our opinion, a reasonable betting option is - total corners under 10.5.

📝 MATCH PREDICTION

For 4 consecutive head-to-head matches now, Athletic has not lost to Barcelona by more than 1 goal. At this moment, it is certainly not possible to call the “Blaugrana” a more balanced and prepared team. They are plagued not only by problems on the football field but also by a number of serious management issues. However, regardless of these challenges, Barça's players are of higher class, and in our view, their incredible motivation will help them secure a victory during such a challenging time for the club. For instance, a final score of 1:2 is quite possible. The key choice - Athletic's individual total under 1.5 goals. Let's recall that in 5 of the last 7 head-to-head matches, the Catalans have kept their goal intact.