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With the La Liga title race increasingly out of reach, Barcelona look to further solidify their standing amidst the Champions League places as they face a difficult visit to Athletic Club on Sunday.
Despite a few recent slips by leaders Real Madrid, Barcelona remain back in third, eight points adrift of Los Blancos, and their opportunities to pull back within reach appear to be few and far between.
Athletic Club are also in the hunt for a top-four spot and will know they must take every opportunity against their rivals for those positions, but have suffered some damaging results in recent weeks and have fallen out of the UCL spots, now three points back of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
They will be missing Nico Williams for this game after he was sent off just before halftime in their last match, a damaging 3-1 defeat at Real Betis which left them even more desperate for a turnaround.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Barcelona vs Athletic Club and bet La Liga matches
Barcelona vs Athletic Club prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Barcelona (+135)
- Score prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Club
Athletic Club pummeled Barcelona in their Copa del Rey meeting back in late January, but their best player from that match, Nico Williams, will be suspended for this game, dealing a significant blow to Athletic’s chances of recreating those sensational 90 minutes.
Add in a long injury list for Athletic which includes Oihan Sancet, Unai Gomez, and Yuri Berchiche, plus the yellow card suspension of reliant defender Dani Vivian, and they are in trouble from a talent perspective.
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| Athletic win | +170 |
| Draw | +235 |
| Barcelona win | +135 |
| Both teams to score Y/N |
-180 / +140 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-145 / +105 |
| Barcelona -0.5 goals |
+140 |
| Athletic +0.5 goals |
-175 |
Barcelona vs Athletic Club match facts
- Date: Sunday, March 3, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 8 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
- Location: San Mames Stadium (Bilbao, Spain)
- Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez, VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande
- Last meeting: Athletic Club 4-2 Barcelona (Jan. 24, 2024 | Copa del Rey)
Barcelona vs Athletic Club: best bet
We’ve already touched on Athletic Club’s struggles in this match from an availability perspective, which will hamper their chances on goal. Prior to the 4-2 outburst in the Copa del Rey last month, Athletic hadn’t scored in four straight La Liga meetings with Barcelona, with the latest two both ending 1-0 in favour of the Catalan giants.
Barcelona remain the league’s most dangerous and potent attack, pummeling Getafe last time out, which is a credit to Xavi given all their various injuries this year, but they will find it difficult at Athletic. The hosts have conceded the fewest xG of any side in La Liga this year. The absence of Dani Vivian is a big blow — he sports the most minutes played of any Athletic player this season, with his centre-back partner Aitor Paredes second — but longtime club servant Yeray Alvarez is extremely well equipped to step in.
Barcelona vs Athletic Club prop bet
- Pick: Raphinha to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +140 (FanDuel)
After missing about a month with a muscle injury, Raphinha’s return to the starting lineup arrived in a big way, serving up a goal and assist against Getafe last time out. While the Brazilian’s fitness harshly dropped bright young star Lamine Yamal to the bench, it profited Barcelona straight away, a great sign considering Raphinha had been in great form before his injury, with four assists and a goal in five league games before being sidelined.
Raphinha has missed both matchups against Athletic Club this season, but in his only previous game against today’s opponent, he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory last season. There’s a great chance for him to again provide major contribution, given he will likely be up against backup left-back Imanol Garcia as Athletic starter Yuri Berchiche is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Barcelona vs Athletic Club live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | ESPN Deportes | Fubo USA, ESPN+, WatchESPN |
| Canada | — | TSN+ |
| UK | Viaplay Sports 1 | Viaplay UK, LaLigaTV |
Every single match of the 2023/24 La Liga season can be found in the United States on ESPN+ with English and Spanish-language options for all games Additionally, the match was selected to be televised on ESPN Deportes in Spanish, which is available to stream on Fubo.
In Canada, the match will be streamed exclusively on TSN+, while in the UK it will be televised on Viaplay Sports 1 and streamed on LaLigaTV.
