Sunday's La Liga and Serie A predictions and free football tips: Brilliant Barca to finish on a high note

Best bets

Barcelona to beat Athletic Bilbao
Premier Sports 1 & LaLigaTV, 8pm
1pt 11-10 general

Empoli to beat Verona
OneFootball, 7.45pm
1pt Evs Betfair

Sunday's European football predictions

Barcelona are not in the Champions League final next weekend but they have enjoyed a stellar domestic campaign and are overpriced to win their final La Liga game of the season against Athletic Bilbao.

Neither club have anything left to play for in La Liga after Barca wrapped up the title to go with their Copa del Rey success earlier in the season, while Athletic Bilbao are assured of a Champions League berth.

But Hansi Flick will want his side to finish on a positive note after they were beaten 3-2 by Villarreal in their final home game of the season last Sunday.

Form is on the side of Athletic, who have won three games in a row in the league, but those fixtures were against rather unimpressive Alaves, Getafe and Valencia sides.

And while a first-leg red card and key player absences played their part, Athletic lost their Europa League semi-final tie 7-1 on aggregate against a poor Manchester United side.

Barca have beaten Athletic Bilbao in the league and in the Spanish Super Cup this season and can prevail again on Sunday.

The Serie A relegation outcome could yet be determined by a playoff with 18th-placed Empoli level on points with 17th-placed Lecce going into the final game of the season.

Head-to-head results usually split teams level on points but playoffs are used to determine title winners and relegation in Serie A, so Empoli should have belief going into their final game against Verona.

They have enough about them to get a crucial win, having won their last two contests against Parma and Monza, whereas Verona are on an eight-game winless streak.

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