Struggling Athletic restored some of the lost confidence thanks to back to back wins over Malaga and Levante, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry when they host in-form Barcelona on Sunday. The Catalans recorded a hard-fought triumph over Villarreal last time out and now hope to take advantage of the fact that title rivals Real Madrid face Atletico at Vicente Calderon.

Can Copa del Rey save their season?

This season has been an utter disappointment for Athletic, with the team failing to prove their worth on domestic and European stage. And while los Leones will have a chance to make amends for the poor Champions League showings by playing in Europa League knockout stages, their league position is a major cause for concern. With the team having taken mere 23 points from 21 games, it is clear their bid for European positions is already over, but seeing as they sit just five points above the relegation zone, los Leones will have to show improvement if they want to avoid the relegation tussle. Athletic have reserved their best performances for the Copa del Rey campaign, where they not only qualified for the semis, but battle Espanyol for a place in the final, where the winner of this tie will probably face Barcelona. Ernesto Valverde’s side will first have to negotiate a league match against the Catalans, but they have little to hope for at the moment. Despite showing some improvement of late, the hosts need to play a perfect game if they are to match their more illustrious opponents, but selection problems are making things even more difficult.

Andoni Iraola is suspended, whilst Ander Iturraspe and Guillermo Fernandez are out injured. Mikel Balenziaga should play despite carrying a back injury.

Barcelona on top of their game

Barcelona have experienced some problems along the way, but they have been pretty impressive most of the time, with big strength in depth proving to be a major asset. The Catalans have so far done really well on all fronts and they are the main candidates for the Copa del Rey trophy, with Villarreal, Athletic and Espanyol the other teams left in the competition. Barcelona face a tricky tie with Manchester City in the Champions League first knockout round, while they currently sit four points behind Real Madrid in the league standings. But, with los Blancos facing Atletico this weekend, this is a perfect opportunity for the Catalans to close the gap behind their rivals. Barcelona have seriously raised their game of late, winning last eight matches in all competitions, scoring 29 and conceding 5 goals in the process, so another comfortable win definitely looks on the cards. Luis Enrique’s charges were made to work really hard for the win by red-hot Villarreal last weekend, but they should have a much easier task against out-of-sorts Athletic Bilbao. With Lionel Messi back to his best, the home defenders will have their work cut out for them.

Dani Alves has resumed full training, but fellow full-back Douglas Pereira and central defender Thomas Vermaelen remain sidelined.

Verdict

Athletic were soundly beaten by both Atletico and Villarreal in the last two matches against top 6 sides and seeing as they are going through a very rough patch at the moment, I cannot see them faring much better against in-form Barcelona. The Catalans have really turned on the style of late and I fully expect them to record a big win at San Mames.

Top pick: Barcelona/Barcelona   1.98 (49/50) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Barcelona -1.5 AH   2.02 (51/50) @ bet365

Alternative pick 2: Barcelona to win to nil   2.30 (13/10) @ Paddy Power