Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona: Supercopa Match Preview & Prediction

On Wednesday, Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona will meet in Saudi Arabia for a match that might decide who advances to the Spanish Super Cup final.

Athletic are in the semi-finals because they hold the Copa del Rey, while Blaugrana is in the Super Cup because they finished second last season.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The three-time champions Athletic are back in the four-team format after winning the Copa del Rey last year.

After a 40-year drought, Los Leones finally won the Copa del Rey in April after defeating Mallorca in a penalty shootout.

Going into Saudi Arabia, Athletic will be aiming to win the Spanish Super Cup for the fourth time and their second in the four-team format following 2021.

Ernesto Valverde's squad is riding high going into Wednesday's semi-final. They've gone undefeated in their last fifteen matches, including a six-win and four-draw in their last ten league games, putting them in fourth place, two points behind Barcelona for third.

Despite their current success, Athletic had a tough time in their first encounter of the Copa del Rey defense against fourth-tier Logrones. The match ended in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of regulation time ended in a scoreless stalemate.

While Athletic did defeat Barcelona in last season's Copa del Rey, it was in extra time; since then, Athletic has not defeated Barcelona in a regular season matchup since a 1-0 victory in February 2020. Now, the attention of Athletic is on Wednesday's semi-final.

Although Athletic and Barcelona both managed to pull off a Copa del Rey match against lower-league opponents, Athletic's match against Logrones was a much more difficult affair than Barcelona's encounter with Barbastro.

Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 triumph against the fourth-tier team, with braces from Robert Lewandowski, Eric Garcia, and Pablo Torre.

As they entered the winter break in 2024 riding a wave of poor La Liga form—winning just one of their last seven league games (D2, L4)—the Blaugrana would have been relieved to avoid any slip-ups in the Copa del Rey tie. This was in stark contrast to their 11-win, 12-loss start to the campaign.

This dismal performance has dropped Hansi Flick's squad to third place in the league, three points behind Atletico Madrid (who also have a game in hand) and five points behind Real Madrid (who are now in first place).

Before facing Getafe on January 18 to attempt to restart their league season, Barcelona will go to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Spanish Super Cup, which they have never won before and which would be their second appearance in the current four-team format.

The Catalan giants' two consecutive semi-final victories in the Spanish Super Cup—a 2-0 triumph over Osasuna in the previous season and a penalty shootout triumph over Real Betis in 2023—may serve as motivation.

Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona Team News

Despite the two players' continuing registration concerns, Barcelona has included Dani Olmo and Pau Victor in their traveling party.

So, whether or not the Blaugrana will figure out a way to have Olmo and Victor play in Wednesday's semi-final is still up in the air.

Assuming Ferran Torres is able to play, Hector Fort and Andreas Christensen will likely start on the bench against Athletic after making full recoveries from their ailments.

Also making a comeback to the team is Lamine Yamal, who has missed the previous two matches with an ankle injury; however, the 17-year-old may not be starting right away owing to his lack of training time.

Inaki Pena, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, and Raphinha will all start for Flick after making substitute appearances in the victory against Barbastro.

The Athletic medical team will need to evaluate Yeray Alvarez, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, and Oihan Sancet—all of whom have been out with injuries—before Wednesday's semi-final.

In order to give some of his bench players a chance to participate in Saturday's Copa del Rey match, Valverde is planning to make many substitutions.

The roster for Wednesday's semi-final match will include Yuri Berchiche, Dani Vivian, Andoni Gorosabel, and Unai Simon, among others.

Athletic are expecting to see Nico Williams and Inaki Williams return to the flanks, while Benat Prados and Mikel Jauregizar are in the mix for starting roles in the middle of the field.

Our predictions

Athletic Bilbao to win @ 3.85 on Sky247.ng

Even though they cruised past Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona still has a lot to prove after losing four of their previous seven La Liga matches. Considering this, we think they will have a hard time beating Athletic, who have won seven of their last nine regular season matches.

Elevate your betting experience with SKY247 Nigeria. Join now and discover a thrilling world of sports, live events, and exclusive bonuses. Bet with confidence on your favorite teams and games.