Prediction: Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao

Verdict: Lionel Messi to score

Best odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: William Hill

The title race in La Liga took a fresh turn this weekend as Barcelona failed to win away against Sevilla and allowed Real Madrid to squeeze past them by beating Real Sociedad. It is therefore imperative for the Catalans not to slip up again when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Camp Nou in the 31st round of the Spanish top flight on Tuesday.

Barcelona

Barcelona traveled to Seville high on morale after winning the first two games after the return of top-flight football in Spain, and though a contest against third-place Sevilla was always going to be more difficult than those against the likes of Mallorca and Leganes, the goalless draw at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will have come as a great shock, given the resulting situation at the top of the table. Barcelona are now in second place due to arch-rivals Real being better head-to-head, with both teams having 65 points apiece to their respective names. Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are in distant third and fourth now, both with 52.

The Blaugrana’s record at home this season is still the best in the league, though, with 14 wins in 15 games. Their recent form stands at four wins, one draw and one defeat from the last six league matches. After Athletic, they will face Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid before this month is out; all arguably difficult fixtures.

Team News

Winger Ousmane Dembele is still out with a long-term hamstring problem. Midfielder Frenkie de Jong carries a rib injury, though he hasn’t been ruled out at this point. Striker Luis Suarez is likely to start on the bench, having played the full 90 minutes in Seville after recovering from knee surgery. Arthur Melo and Antoine Griezmann, who were on the bench in Seville, could start now.

Athletic Bilbao

Unlike Barcelona, Athletic enter this match on the back of a triumph over Real Betis on Saturday, as well as the memory of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals when they knocked the Catalans out. The game in which Inaki Williams scored the winning goal in stoppage time will certainly act as a morale booster for Gaizka Garitano’s team.

The season as a whole hasn’t been that great for the Basque side. They currently reside in ninth place with 42 points, six less and a game in hand on Villareal in sixth, which means they are by no means out of the race for a European spot through the league standings. But they are very likely to play in the Europa League next season anyway, given that they’ve reached the Cup final where they will face Sociedad, who are also likely to snatch a place in Europe through their position in the league. The only way they wouldn’t get there would be if both finalists miss out on top six, and then Sociedad beat Athletic in the Cup final.

Athletic won three, drew two and lost one of their last six league outings. But it should be noted that they are unbeaten against Barcelona in their last three encounters.

Team News

Defender Yuri Berichiche is suspended for this match, after picking up a yellow card against Betis. Mikel Balenziaga is the likeliest candidate to replace him in the starting XI.

Conclusion

Athletic Bilbao may have proven a very tough nut to crack for Barcelona recently, but it’s only reasonable to expect Lionel Messi & Co. to react explosively to points dropped against Sevilla and not allow Real to pull away. So, this time it probably makes sense to go with one of the more obvious predictions.

Verdict: Lionel Messi to score

Best odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: William Hill