Best international sports betting site 1xBet analyzes the clash between the participants of the La Liga top match, which will be held on March 3.
Tournament situation
The end of the La Liga season is getting closer, but there are more and more questions. In addition to the championship race, there is an intense struggle for places in European cups, glory, honour, and substantial UEFA payments. Barcelona takes the third place and will go to Bilbao to defend their title claims. Athletic is three points behind the Champions League zone and wants to join the top teams.
Barcelona’s rebirth
When Xavi, Barcelona’s head coach, announced his decision to leave at the end of the championship, his squad became unrecognizable and started their second-best unbeaten run in the season. After losing to Villarreal, the Catalans gained three wins and two draws, one away from Napoli in the Champions League.
It is still the same smart team that controls the ball well and shows perfect pressing. But sometimes, successes have to be obtained with great difficulty. Good examples were the matches against Granada and Celta, where the results came in the last minutes.
Barça will approach the game against Athletic with João Félix and Raphinha, who have finally recovered from injuries. Also, at San Mames, fans will see the prodigy Lamine Yamal, for whom this match could be the ninth in the season. Still, Ferran Torres, Marcos Alonso, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde will definitely not be on the pitch.
Athletic: show the teeth
Next to the current top three Spanish giants, there are two teams – Athletic and Girona. If Girona’s tale of ball control deserves its own film, Valverde’s squad confidently moves towards its cherished goal, playing bright, vertical football.
In their last 10 matches in La Liga, the Basques had 6 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws. Athletic is also a very home team. San Mames became their fortress, where the squad won eight games in a row – the winning streak began on November 10. Overall, in 12 home struggles, the Basques have only one defeat from Real Madrid and 10 victories.
Athletic does not play dominant football – to win, this team only needs to possess the ball 30% of the game time. They press well and run forward very quickly when intercepting the ball. Special mention to the Williams brothers, who constantly torment the opponent’s defense with their magnificent runs. Another crucial element was Alex Berenguer, who repeatedly scored in important matches against Sociedad, Celta, Atlético, and Girona.
