FC Barcelona will return to club football with their match against Athletic Club tonight. While Xavi will be going into this match with a number of important players unavailable, Athletic Club is still one of the favorite opponents for Barcelona.
SPORT has outlined some interesting facts and stats about this game that show how this is true and also give some insights into the recent rivalry between the two clubs:
Incredible home record
Barcelona have got 18 wins and drawn only one game in their last nineteen matches against Athletic Club in La Liga, getting as many as 55 points from a possible 57 from these matches.
Barcelona have not lost a game at home to Bilbao for 22 years, and the last time Athletic Club won at Camp Nou was in November 2001. In total, Barcelona have got 57 points out of a possible 63 when counting both home and away games.
Favorite victims of Barcelona
Athletic Club also has an undesirable distinction of being the team against which Barcelona has scored the most goals, and is the only club that has conceded more than 350 goals against the Catalans, having conceded 351 goals up to now. In their last 51 encounters, Barcelona have not been able to score only in 3 matches.
Xavi undefeated by Athletic Club
Barcelona have not lost a game to Bilbao in any competition since Xavi’s appointment as the head coach. In his time, the Catalans have scored 9 goals and have not conceded any in return. However, Xavi and Ernesto Valverde have faced off only twice, and it remains to be seen how the two will lock horns tonight.
Valverde’s record against Barcelona
Valverde has been coaching in La Liga for some time now, but his lowest winning rate comes against the Catalans, as he has won only 10% of his games against the Blaugranes.
Martinez’s goals against Bilbao
Inigo Martinez is likely to play against his former club tonight, but while he was at Athletic Club, Barcelona was the club that he had faced the most in his career.
However, he has also scored two goals against Athletic Club previously in his career, when he was with Real Sociedad, and it remains to be seen whether he can increase this tally tonight.
