Real Madrid dropped points yesterday and Girona failed to close the gap on the league leaders by loosing thir game to Mallorca, this gives a very huge opportunity to Barcelona to move to second if they win the game.
Barcelona's line up for the game is very good, Felix and Yamal start from the bench and will probably come in the second half. If Barcelona fail to win this game, it will mean no hope for Barcelona this season to catch up to Real Madrid and win the league.
Yeah this is a pretty good momentum just depends on how Barcelona performs in this match. Bilbao is not a club to be underestimated especially when trying to do defensive schemes so Barcelona must try their best to make the match favorable for them in this match.
The first 30 minutes of the match were a bit monotonous as both clubs were still rotating in midfield and there were very few chances even though Barcelona were still trying but in this match I think Bilbao have kept up with their game and played calmly so far.
If things like this continue to be allowed I think it could be a little inconvenient for Barcelona because their target is 3 points but it is very difficult to get good attacking momentum because of the accumulation of Bilbao players in defense.
The first half will most likely be a draw if in the end things like this continue.
You're right, the game so far hasn't been very attractive although I think Barcelona have had some good chances to score. However, Barcelona really had to pay a heavy price in this match because during the first half their two best midfielders De Jong and Pedri had to suffer injuries. Of course this is a big loss for Barcelona who will face Napoli in the second leg of the Champions League, but the most important thing today is that they have to win their away game after Real Madrid and Girona dropped points.
The first half was not very interesting because both teams had minimal chances, but Xavi had to do something in the second half so that his team could create more chances. A win today is mandatory and Barcelona must try hard to make it happen, otherwise they really have to let Real Madrid and Girona stay ahead.