The Supercopa de España semi-final between Athletic and Barcelona will take place on January 8 at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Athletic vs. Barcelona: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias (Spain)
Matches – 12 (La Liga and Copa del Rey, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 47;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 19;
Penalties – 8%.
Predicted lineups for Athletic vs. Barcelona
Athletic (4-2-3-1): Unai Simón – Óscar De Marcos, Adama Boiró, Aitor Paredes, Daniel Vivian – Mikel Haurregui, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams, Unai Gómez – Álex Berenguer.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Iñaki Peña – Eric García, Jules Koundé, Iñigo Martínez, Alejandro Balde – Marc Casadó, Pedri – Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha Dias – Robert Lewandowski.
Athletic
The Basques are participating in this year's Supercopa as the Copa del Rey winners. Last season, the club defeated Mallorca in the Copa del Rey final via penalties (1-1, extra time 0-0, penalties 4-2). Athletic has won this tournament three times (the last in the 2020/21 season) and reached the final three times (most recently in 2022). Three years ago, the team defeated Atlético Madrid 2-1 in the Supercopa semi-final but lost to Real Madrid 2-0 in the final.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in regular time in 6 of Athletic's last 8 matches in this tournament.
- The club has not lost in 90 minutes in 5 of their last 6 Supercopa de España matches (3 wins, 2 draws).
- In 6 of Athletic's last 8 games in this tournament, the second half was more productive than the first 45 minutes.
Barcelona
The Catalans hold the record for the most Supercopa de España titles with 14 victories. They have also reached the final 12 times. Their last win in this tournament was in the 2022/23 season when they defeated Real Madrid 3-1. However, last year Barcelona lost to Madrid in the Supercopa final (1-4). Notably, they easily overcame Osasuna 2-0 in the semi-final stage prior to that.
- Both teams scored in regular time in 8 of Barcelona's last 9 Supercopa matches.
- The Catalans have lost just once in 90 minutes in their last 7 matches in this tournament (2 wins, 4 draws).
- At least one goal was scored in the first half in 6 of the club's last 7 matches in the Supercopa de España.
Athletic vs. Barcelona: Match Prediction
This tournament offers another chance to witness a clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, this season, the Catalans might not reach the Supercopa final as Bilbao is in excellent form and is only two points behind Barcelona in the La Liga standings. The Basques have only three losses in the league, while the Catalans have already suffered five defeats.
Athletic has not lost in their last 14 matches in La Liga and the Europa League. Meanwhile, Hans Flick's side has only won three of their last 9 games in La Liga and the Champions League, with two consecutive losses in the Spanish league. It's also worth noting the head-to-head record between these opponents – in the last 18 official encounters, the Catalans have only beaten the Basques by two or more goals on three occasions. Therefore, with caution, I suggest the prediction – Athletic with a handicap (+1).
