Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Head to Head: Can Blaugrana Make It 10 in a Row against the Lions?

New year, new team, new Camp Nou; however, a similar story to last year as FC Barcelona tops the table of the La Liga with 49 points, a few points more than what they had last year, with a better position. And guess what, with fewer points, they clinched the La Liga title, and this year it looks like Hansi Flick and Co. are going to win consecutive La Liga trophies, making them reach closer to the 30 count in terms of the domestic league.

Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona’s opponents in the Supercopa de España, will aim to end the Catalan giant's winning run and stop them from reaching 10 consecutive victories as they push for a place in the final of the Spanish competition. In La Liga, one of the best leagues in the world, Bilbao are still fighting for a European qualification spot, having collected 24 points from 19 matches so far.

The Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona head to head numbers show a long and competitive rivalry between the Basque and Catalan sides. Here’s how the Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao rivalry has developed over the years.

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona Head to Head: Overall Record Between Both Teams

The Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona rivalry has not just been decades ago, but it started a century ago, with records telling of the first meeting between both sides in 1900. Since then, both teams have faced each other 50+ times, with 70% of the results falling in favour of the Catalan side. While the Basque-based Athletic Bilbao has only won 7 games while 10 games have shared spoils between both teams.

Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Head to Head: Rivalry History Between Both Clubs

The rivalry between Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao has been ongoing since the start of the 20th century, with the first match played during the 1900/01 season, and has seen many legendary players take part in it. While Barcelona have an edge over Athletic Club, the other side has caused trouble a lot of the time.

In the Supercopa de España, both teams have met 8 times and the results are almost equally divided between the two Spanish sides. Overall in the competition, Barcelona won 4, Athletic Bilbao 3, with 1 draw (Barcelona often advancing on aggregate in two-legged ties).

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona H2H: Iconic Matches Over the Years

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona H2H includes iconic moments like the 12-1 defeat in 1931 La Liga (Barcelona's heaviest defeat), the infamous 1983-84 incidents, featuring Goikoetxea's tackle breaking the ankle of the best Argentine football player, Diego Maradona, and a famous post-Copa del Rey final fight. Barcelona's dominant Copa finals in 2009 (4-1) and 2015 (3-1), Athletic's dramatic 2021 Supercopa extra-time win (3-2), and 2024 Copa quarter-final upset.

Athletic Bilbao vs FC Barcelona Stats: All-Time H2H Stats of the Matchup Over the Years

In all competitive meetings where both teams have clashed head to head, Barcelona have scored 65 goals while conceding just 23 to the Basques. This flips dramatically for Athletic, who have let in 65 but only managed 23 themselves. Barcelona averages an impressive 2.24 points per game in these fixtures, compared to Athletic's 0.57. Blaugrana have also kept 23 clean sheets versus Athletic's 6, showing their ability to shut down the Lions' threats on a regular basis.

In terms of cards, Barcelona have picked up 60 yellow cards and 1 red while Athletic have 66 yellows and 4 reds – suggesting the Basques often resort to tougher tactics in these intense battles. With Barca unbeaten in their last 9 encounters across all competitions and fresh from dominant recent wins, these stats paint a clear picture that La Liga Champions FC Barcelona are heavy favorites to advance to the finals of the tournament.

Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Head to Head: All Time Top Scorers in this Fixture

The century-long Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao rivalry has seen many players score for their respective sides, including the GOAT of football, Lionel Messi, who remains the top scorer in the Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao head to head numbers. Barcelona players dominate the scoring charts with stars, which features Neymar, one of the best dribblers, alongside Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic, all making decisive impacts in key encounters. Among Athletic Bilbao players, current captain Inaki Williams stands out as the only representative to break into the list, underlining Barcelona’s long-standing attacking dominance in this historic fixture.

Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao Trophies: Who has Won the Most Trophies?

Barcelona clearly have more titles in almost every competition. They have won La Liga 28 times, while Athletic Bilbao have won it 8 times. In the Copa del Rey, Barca again leads with 32 titles, compared to 24 for Bilbao. The Catalan side also dominates in Spanish and European competitions, including 15 Supercopa de España titles and 5 UEFA Champions League trophies, competitions that Athletic Bilbao have never won.

Athletic Bilbao’s success has mainly come in domestic cups, while Barcelona have been successful at both domestic and international levels, showing their overall dominance in Spanish and European football. The 7th January fixture will allow both teams to inch closer to another trophy in their cabinet.

FC Barcelona Vs Athletic Club H2H: Biggest Wins

Athletic Bilbao vs FC Barcelona stats of the biggest wins show the famous 5-0 win over the Basque-based team in the year 2016, followed by victories with a margin of 4 goals spread across different seasons. However, if we consider the overall head to head Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona old data, Bilbao have humiliated Barca by beating them with a margin of 11 goals in 1931 (the heaviest defeat in Barca history).