Athletic Club vs Barcelona: Preview and Prediction

Athletic Club vs Barcelona Preview

Ernesto Valverde’s high-flying Athletic Club will play host to Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday, January 25^th.

The hosts will enter this do-or-die game on the back of five wins in their last five games across competitions. This included a 3-0 win over Eibar and a 2-0 win over Alaves en route to making it to the quarters. Athletic are also sitting pretty in third place in La Liga with 41 points from 20 games, with Barca fourth with 41 points from 19 games. Their proximity in terms of quality could make this a feisty matchup.

Barcelona, on the other hand, are in pretty good form themselves, having won four and lost one of their last five across competitions. This included tricky wins against Union Barbastro (3-2) and Unionists (3-1) in the Copa as Xavi’s men advanced to the quarters. With arch-rivals Real Madrid out of the competition, this could be a great chance for Barca to lift the cup.

That said, let’s take a look at the team news.

Team News & Predicted Lineups

Athletic Club

Midfielder Dani Garcia will miss the game owing to a hamstring injury he picked up in November last year. Forward Inaki Williams remains unavailable for selection as long as Ghana progresses to the latter rounds of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Valverde is less likely to rotate his La Liga squad and give more minutes to fringe players for this game due to it being a quarter-final.

Probable XI: Julen Agirrezabala (GK), Oscar de Marcos, Daniel Vivian, Aitor Paredes, Inigi Lekue, Ander Herrera, Benat Prados, Alex Berengeur, Oihan Sancet, Iker Muniain (C), Asier Villalibre.

Barcelona

Gavi remains a long-term absentee following his ACL injury last year, while Marcos Alonso and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are out with back injuries. Winger Raphinha is out nursing a muscle problem, while full-back Joao Cancelo will miss out due to a knee injury.

Xavi is likely to rotate his squad and go for a strong combination of his A and B teams.

Probable XI: Inaki Pena (GK), Sergi Roberto (C), Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez, Oriol Romeu, Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, Joao Felix, Marc Guiu.

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Head-to-Head & Prediction

Last 5 games H2H (All Comps)

• Barcelona 1-0 Athletic Club (10/23)
• Athletic Club 0-1 Barcelona (03/23)
• Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club (10/22)
• Barcelona 4-0 Athletic Club (02/22)
• Athletic Club 3-2 Barcelona (01/22)

As you can see, Barca have dominated the encounters in La Liga, winning four out of four and scoring 10 goals without reply. However, Athletic Club edged their last Copa del Rey meeting courtesy of an extra-time penalty by skipper Muniain.

Considering their form, the hosts are bound to get on the scoresheet and could even secure a narrow win, considering the unpredictability of cup competitions.

Prediction: Athletic Club 2-1 Barcelona.

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score: Yes.
• Athletic Club: Win.
• Over 2.5 Goals: Yes.

Odds

• Athletic Club Win: 2.75.
• Draw: 3.60.
• Barcelona Win: 2.55.

Top Players to Watch

Athletic Club

Twenty-six-year-old striker Asier Villalibre will be one to watch for Athletic Club after his impressive performance against Alaves last time around. He scored a brace in a 2-0 win to bring his team to the quarters and will look to add to his tally.

Villalibre has been in great form this season, scoring seven goals and providing one assist from just 13 appearances across competitions. With Inaki Williams away, it could be the Spaniard’s time to shine.

Barcelona

Ferran Torres could prove to be the X-factor for Barcelona. Having scored in their 3-1 win against Unionistas, Torres will look to get on the scoresheet yet again. The 23-year-old has been in good form this campaign, bagging eight goals and three assists in 28 games across competitions. In doing so, he has already bettered his total tally from last season (7G, 3A).

Athletic Club vs Barcelona Timings & Telecast

• Date & Time: Thursday, 25^th January 2 AM (IST).
• India: Fancode app & website.
• US: ESPN+
• Spain: TVE, RTVE Play and TV3

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