PREVIEW: History favours Barcelona in bid to restore four-point gap to Real Madrid against Bilbao | OneFootball

Barcelona will attempt to capitalise on their recent form against Athletic Club to restore their four-point lead at the top of the LaLiga table at San Mamés.

Meanwhile, Athletic Club will be hoping their improved form as of late will carry them closer to European spots as the two clubs face off.

Barça sit just a single point clear of Real Madrid after they beat Celta Vigo 2-1 to make up for stumbling to a 1-0 defeat at home to Getafe in midweek.

Hansi Flick’s side will be looking towards their excellent recent form against Athletic Club for inspiration, having won their last meeting 5-0 in January in the Super Copa, and the reverse LaLiga fixture 4-0 at the Camp Nou.

And in a much broader view, Athletic Club have failed to beat Barcelona in LaLiga on their last 12 attempts.

Their hopes of a vital win will be high given the club’s current impressive general form, with 5 wins in their last 6 in LaLiga, including a 4-1 win against Champions League hopefuls Villarreal in their last match.

This kind of form has been integral in helping them maintain their claim to the top spot in Spanish football heading into matchday 27.

Barça will be without a lot of their defensive talents, with Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Baldé all set to miss out on this clash through injury alongside Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong.

Some favourable results as of late for Athletic Club have them unbeaten in 5 games, despite their historical record against Blaugrana leaving much to be desired.

Although these games were all against weaker sides, playing two of the bottom three, it serves as a welcome confidence boost after a harsh winter that had Lehoiak sitting as low as 13th in late January – a far cry from their 4th and 5th place finishes in the last couple of seasons.

Manager Ernesto Valverde will be optimistic that his players will draw on the pain of previous fixtures with Barcelona, combined with the support of their home fans, will aid them in their late charge for European football.

Yet the side’s head to head form, Athletic Club’s poor season, and Barcelona’s considerably higher quality will make for an incredibly difficult challenge for Bilbao to overcome.

Athletic Club will be most concerned with their injuries to attacker Nico Williams and defender Unai Egiluz, as well as the suspension of Yeray Alvarez.

A win for Barcelona would land them on 67 points, maintaining the four-point gap to Real Madrid in second, while Athletic Club could climb as high as seventh, one spot from the Europa Conference League place, with victory.