#2 Athletic Bilbao’s Camp Nou curse
If there is an interesting stat from the Bilbao vs Barcelona fixtures, it is that Athletic Bilbao have not managed to keep a clean sheet at the Camp Nou since 1985, when the legendary Andoni Zubizarreta was in goal. Their defence has never been good enough to overcome the threat posed by Barcelona’s attack over the years.
Going into tonight’s game, the absence of Luis Suarez was something Bilbao could have capitalised upon, but a defensive collapse after the 20th minute let Neymar attack the left wing with ease – leading to Alcacer’s opener.
To add to that, Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz couldn’t keep out Messi’s free kick, which wasn’t the hardest of saves he had to make on the day. Another defensive lapse saw Aleix Vidal net his second league goal of the season. It just seems like Bilbao cannot defend well at the Camp Nou.