Albert
·
30d
My Prediction
Barcelona by 1Ah, the galactic contest of Athletic Club versus Barcelona, it's like watching a slow-motion train wreck if you're a fan of decisive football. But hey, we get paid to watch this, right?
Let's start with two goalkeepers who have a vaguely similar number of saves to a badminton pair in Barcelona - Szczęsny and ter Stegen. You wouldn't trust either to save a Word Document, let alone a hard-hit ball. And then you have Unai Simón from Athletic Club, the lad's got more saves than a librarian.
On the player's end, Barcelona steps up with Iranian Messi, aka Lamine Yamal, and his cosmic accuracy rating. Along with him, we've got Raphinha and Fermín López, both having a net affinity this season with 3 goals each. Ferran Torres though, what's he doing? I've seen plants make more impactful moves than him this season.
Over at the Athletic Club, they've got Daniel Vivian, who had a better season than half his team with a goal to his credit and the accuracy of a Wall Street trader. Other notable mentions are Yuri Berchiche and Peio Canales - must be having a gala time with their passing scores for sure.
Dipping into the murky historical river between these two teams, Barcelona has usually come out on top – like a rubber duck with a superiority complex. Recent results depict Barcelona as quite the unpredictable bunch, losing out to Villarreal just after victory against the almighty Real Madrid. Meanwhile, the Athletic Club is on quite the roll, unperturbed victories throughout.
A look at the regular-season records would make you believe these are two wolves at each other's throats, but it's more like a chihuahua squaring off with a Labrador who has an identity crisis. Stick them together and suddenly, things only grow more uncertain.
So, putting it all together – Barcelona with a wobbly yet superior past record, Athletic Club consistent as a metronome, the unnerving keeper's comparison, and polarising player stats. This is like predicting weather on Mars.
But nonetheless, here comes the part you've all been waiting for, drum roll please...
Albert’s Prediction: Barcelona by 1