Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao tips: La Liga champions to maintain unbeaten start with clean sheet
- Sergiu Baltuta
- 22 October 2023
Barcelona protect La Liga's last remaining unbeaten record on Sunday night, and Tipstrr football pundit Sergiu Baltuta does not expect Bilbao to be the first to get the better of the Catalans.
Date, Kick-off time and TV coverage
La Liga Primera Division, Sunday October 22, kick-off 20:00, live on ITV 4
Barca need a win to keep up with current table toppers Real Madrid before they take on their rivals from the capital in next weekend’s El Clasico at Estadio Olimpico.
The defending champions are three points behind the league leaders after their 2-2 draw at Granada just before the international break, and this game against the Basque team won’t be an easy one even though Xavi’s team have been perfect at home this season.
Barcelona saw themselves two goals behind at Granada, and ultimately needed an 85th-minute equaliser from Sergi Roberto to rescue a point and take their tally to 21 from nine games, one point behind this season’s surprise package Girona.
On the other hand, Bilbao managed an easy 3-0 home win against Almeria in the previous round, with Gorka Guruzeta, Dani Garcia and Oihan Sancet getting on the scoresheet for Los Leones.
Suggested bet:
Before this win, the Athletic Club were on the receiving end of that same 3-0 scoreline in the Basque derby against Real Sociedad, but that was their first loss since a 2-0 reversal against Real Madrid on the opening day of the season.
Five wins and two draws leave the team led by Ernesto Valverde handily placed in fifth position with 17 points after nine games and hopes will be high of securing a European qualifying spot at the end of the season.
Last season, Barca won both games against Bilbao, 1-0 at San Mames, and 4-0 at Camp Nou, which is being renovated this season, leaving Estadio Olimpico as the temporary home for the Catalans.
They have settled in quickly, winning all four of their La Liga games there, scoring 11 and conceding just twice, while also thrashing Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the Champions League.
The blaugrana have not lost a league game to Bilbao since August 2018 (won 7, drawn 1), winning each of the last three without conceding a goal, including successive 4-0 wins on Bilbao’s last two visits to Barcelona. Everything points towards that trend continuing on Sunday night.
Sergiu Baltuta provides football tips as SVB Tips on Tipstrr
