Barcelona
- Barcelona have been excellent in the opening weeks of the new season, currently leading LaLiga by some margin with 46 points from their first 18 games, while Athletic Bilbao have had a mixed start to the 2025-26 campaign and come into this semi-final 23 points behind, in mid-table with 23 points.
- Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have continued to combine high-tempo attacking soccer with pressing and squad rotation since leading his team to the LaLiga title in 2024 - 25.
- The Bavarian has integrated the young talent with more experienced heads to produce a team that are absolutely ruthless in a 4-3-3 system that dominates possession, can be patient in build-up, but also possess the talent to press their opposition with ferocity and width from the fullbacks to play in wide open spaces.
- Robert Lewandowski remains their talisman and the Pole bagged his 100th goal for the club in the 4-0 win over Athletic in October.
- The Polish marksman then featured in the 5-3 win over Real Betis and will look to take the headlines again in Jeddah when Barca need a win to advance to the Supercopa 2026 final.
- Barca are unbeaten in their last five matches, boasting 11 goals scored and just three conceded, including a 2-0 win at Villarreal and a 5-3 triumph over Real Betis.
- They should have too much for Athletic on Wednesday, but the visitors could still cause a few problems.
Athletic Club
- Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic are a well-drilled unit that are very compact, very pressing and very direct in transition.
- But Athletic have only scored two goals in their last five LaLiga games and have suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid and a 2-1 loss at Espanyol during that run.
- They did beat Atletico 1-0 at home, however, and will arrive in Saudi Arabia with plenty of belief and motivation.
- Unai Simón is a world-class goalkeeper with excellent shot-stopping ability and great distribution, allowing Athletic to keep themselves in games against stronger opponents.
- When available, Nico and Iñaki Williams, who provide directness and breakaway speed on the flanks, could prove vital for an Athletic team that needs to hit their counterattacking blueprint.
- Oihan Sancet remains their creative hub, but they need more help from other areas of the field and Barcelona, who have won four of their last five in this fixture, have the talent to exploit that.
Head-to-Head
- Barcelona have dominated the last five competitive meetings with Athletic Club, winning four.
- Athletic Club have been in inconsistent form, losing three of their last five games in all competitions.
Barcelona
- Robert Lewandowski - club talisman who scored his 100th goal in the October win over Athletic.
- Lamine Yamal - pace and vision were instrumental in the 4-0 victory over Athletic and his assists were decisive.
- Ferran Torres - in good form and his brace against Athletic in November showcased his ability to get into the box and get on the end of chances.
Athletic Club
- Unai Simón - world-class goalkeeper with excellent shot-stopping and distribution.
- Nico and Iñaki Williams - provide directness and breakaway speed on the flanks.
- Oihan Sancet - remains the creative hub and key source of chances.
Betting Insights
- Barcelona are 1.54 favorites with the bookmakers for this matchup.
- Athletic are priced at 5.4 and the draw is 4.2.
- We’re taking Over 2.5 goals at 1.53 given the potential for end-to-end football and Barca’s recent scoring rate (they’ve averaged 2.2 goals per game in their last five).
Prediction
- Predicted score: Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Club.
- Rationale: Athletic, when they press, can leave themselves open to the counterattack and Barca can score multiple goals in these games.
- Alternative tip: Over 2.5 goals for those expecting an open contest.
