Kick-off: 2000, 16/08/2019
Stadium: San Mames
TV: ITV4
Barcelona begin their quest for a third straight La Liga title by visiting Athletic Bilbao on Friday night and are fancied to get off to a flying start.
The Catalan giants were twice held to a draw by the Lions last term but now look refreshed and raring to go following some impressive summer signings.
Even though Lionel Messi is carrying a calf injury, we’re going with 19/10 for an away win to nil as our initial Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona prediction.
A Look At Athletic Bilbao’s Betting Odds
Athletic finished a highly-respectable eighth in the table last term and suffered only two defeats at San Mames, so they are no mugs.
Tying top scorer Inaki Williams down to a long-term contract was a boost and continuity is seen as the key to another decent showing this season.
However, they were a touch slow to get going 12 months ago, winning just one of their first 14 fixtures in this competition.
The hosts have also scored only one goal in their past six La Liga meetings with Barca, who finished 34 points above them in May.
Looking at the Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona odds, we like 31/4 for a 2-0 away victory.
A Look At Barcelona’s Betting Odds
Despite securing a 26th Spanish title, Barcelona closed last season under a bit of a cloud after losing out to Liverpool in the Champions League semis and to Valencia in the Copa del Rey decider.
However, the Nou Camp board responded in emphatic fashion by bringing in Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid and Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong.
Junior Firpo looks another shrewd recruit from Real Betis, while there has even been talk of Neymar returning to the club.
Barca are famed for hitting the ground running and have won their opening La Liga fixture for 10 years in a row.
Messi has scored the first goal in five of those matches, but his fitness problems force us to look elsewhere in this market.
Luis Suarez bagged a brace in a recent 4-0 friendly win over Napoli in Michigan, so 13/4 for him to break the deadlock is added to our Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
Sevilla 2-0 ATHLETIC BILBAO
BARCELONA 1-2 Valencia – Lionel Messi
Head-to-head: A Bilbao 0-0 Barcelona, Barcelona 1-1 A Bilbao, Barcelona 2-0 A Bilbao, A Bilbao 0-2 Barcelona
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