La Liga: Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona

Posted on | January 22, 2008 | No Comments

Athletic Bilbao have some problems at the moment in getting the right results and have been very irregular all season. So irregular in fact that they have not been able to string two wins together. Every time they have won a game this season (which is just five times by the way) they have lost the next game. Only when they beat Valladolid back in October did they then go on to pick up a point in their next match. Last weekend Athletic lost away to Osasuna, so by rights they should get something out of this game. Unfortunately, Barcelona have a pretty good record at the San Mames stadium. Of the last fourteen games played there by these two clubs, Barcelona have gone home with the win on seven occasions, and with a point four times. However, given Barcelona’s poor away form this season anything could happen.
Barca now have three straight wins behind them after beating Mallorca, Murcia and Racing de Santander last weekend. That game also saw the return of Leo Messi and confirmed that Frenchman Thierry Henry has finally decided he hasn’t lost his football. He scored another goal which secured the three points and seemed to be fully fit again.
Athletic will have to face this match without Fran Yeste, who was sent off during the Osasuna game for violent conduct, but the board of directors are hoping to have the ban lifted. He is an influential member of the side and without him Athletic will face an even worse time. You have to remember that Athletic Bilbao’s policy of only buying players from the Basque country greatly affects their chances of having a good season. No foreign player has ever played for them and probably never will. What is even more astonishing is that Athletic have never been relegated. However, in recent years they have been playing with fire and last season were very lucky to stay in the top flight of Spanish football. This season seems to be going the same way, as they are now fifteenth in the league with the same points as third from bottom Murcia.
I’m going for an away win here. Barcelona seem to have recovered from losing to Real Madrid at home just before Christmas, and being seven points behind the leaders they know they can’t afford any more slip ups.
Prediction: Away win (0-2)

Related posts:

1. La Liga: Athletic Bilbao vs. Levante
2. La Liga: Athletico Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao
3. La Liga: Athletic Bilbao vs. Valladolid
4. La Liga: Sevilla vs. Athletic Bilbao
5. La Liga: Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao

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