Barcelona started the post-Lionel Messi era with a victory over Real Sociedad and the Blaugrana will now look for more success against another Basque side as they visit Athletic Bilbao.
With Messi gone, the stage is now set for Antoine Griezmann to shine. He’s scored a career-high 12 goals against Athletic and bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 2.80 for the Frenchman to find the target again on Saturday.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 20th, 5:30 P.M. (EST)
Griezmann never managed to properly mesh with Messi on the pitch and his performances for Barcelona have mostly been disappointing, but the 30-year-old doesn’t have any excuses left now.
Barcelona’s future looks bleak without their Argentinian talisman, but if Griezmann gets back to the form he produced whilst playing for Atletico Madrid then the Catalan giants should still be able to enjoy a good season.
Griezmann failed to factor in any goals in last week’s 4-2 victory, but there were plenty of positives for manager Ronald Koeman. Memphis Depay had a good debut outing and Martin Braithwaite led the charge with two goals and one assist. The Denmark international recorded only four goal involvements in La Liga during the whole of last season so it was a huge step forward from him.
Athletic started the action with a goalless draw against Elche on Monday. They had a decent performance but lacked a cutting edge in front of the goal. It’s a story all too familiar from last season as Bilbao ended 2020-21 with three consecutive goalless efforts. Overall, Marcelino’s men finished goalless 12 times last term and it’s clearly an area they need to improve upon.
The lack of goals means that Athletic can’t produce wins very often. The team has picked up three points just twice in their last 14 league outings. However, they are also tough to beat with only three losses coming during the stretch.
The Basques might lack a bit of quality, but they are a hard-working side that always plays with great passion and determination. The superb team spirit played a massive role when Athletic beat both Barcelona and Real Madrid on their way to a Spanish Super Cup triumph last season.
Bilbao have enjoyed plenty of cup success against Barcelona in recent years, but they have managed only one win in the last 15 head-to-head meetings in the league. Improving the record will be difficult on Saturday, but it certainly won’t be a walk in a park for Barcelona either.
