Spanish La Liga
2026-08-27 - Barcelona vs Ath Bilbao
A Sports Betting Pick by Gladiator
Football: Spain: La Liga - Round 2
Camp Nou (Barcelona), Spain
Thursday, 27nd August 2026 - Kick-Off 21:00 CET
Barcelona
Barcelona could hardly have asked for a more convincing start to their title defence. Hansi Flick's side opened the campaign by hammering Elche 5-0 away from home, with Raphinha scoring twice, Fermín López also grabbing a brace and summer signing Karim Adeyemi finding the net on his competitive debut.
Now they return to the Camp Nou, where this fixture has been particularly one-sided. Athletic have not won at Barcelona's famous home since 2001, going 24 consecutive visits without victory. The more recent head-to-head record is even more striking: Barça have won the last five meetings in all competitions, including 4-0 and 5-0 victories last season.
There are a few selection issues for Flick. Frenkie de Jong remains sidelined, while Gavi picked up a knee problem against Elche. However, Barcelona still have an intimidating amount of attacking quality available, particularly through Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Fermín and their new attacking additions.
Ath Bilbao
Athletic arrive in Barcelona under immediate pressure after Edin Terzic's first competitive match in charge ended in a 3-1 home defeat against Sevilla. It was hardly an ideal beginning, although Yuri Berchiche's early dismissal had a major influence on how that game developed.
The visitors should at least carry a greater counter-attacking threat here if Nico Williams returns to the starting XI. His pace is precisely the sort of weapon that can cause problems against Barcelona's aggressive defensive line, while Oihan Sancet and Gorka Guruzeta give Athletic additional routes towards goal.
The bigger concern is at the other end. Yuri is suspended, Dani Vivian is unavailable, and Beñat Prados has also been ruled out with a muscular problem. Facing a Barcelona attack that has just scored five is about as unforgiving as it gets.
Betting Verdict
Everything points towards Barcelona being strong favourites, and their recent dominance of this matchup makes it difficult to argue otherwise. The hosts have scored 17 goals without reply across their last five meetings with Athletic, while their opening performance against Elche suggests they have started the new campaign in a similarly ruthless mood.
Still, backing Both Teams to Score offers an interesting alternative to simply taking another comfortable Barcelona victory.
Athletic's opening defeat showed defensive vulnerabilities, but Terzic has enough pace and individual quality in attack to make Barcelona work. With Nico Williams potentially starting and Barça likely to push numbers forward at home, there should be opportunities for the Basque side to counter. Barcelona themselves look extremely difficult to keep out, so the bigger question is whether Athletic can score.
At 1.80, the price is attractive enough to take that chance. A lively game with Barcelona ultimately having too much firepower looks the most plausible script.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Barcelona 3-1 Ath Bilbao
