Barcelona could hardly have asked for a cleaner start to the new La Liga season. Three matches, three wins, 11 goals scored and only two conceded has put Hansi Flick’s side top of the table after the opening round of fixtures. They beat Elche 5-0, Athletic Club 2-0 and then Rayo Vallecano 5-2 on August 31. For anyone looking at Barcelona for a football bet the interesting part is not simply that they have won all three. It is the amount of attacking options already showing up.
Goals have come from more than one place
The 5-0 win at Elche was a good example. Raphinha scored twice, Fermín López scored twice and Barcelona were already finding different routes to goal in their first league outing. Then came the 5-2 against Rayo, where Raphinha and Lamine Yamal both scored twice. Yamal’s goal also took him to 50 for Barcelona, another reminder of how much attacking responsibility he already carries despite his age. That matters when looking beyond a simple Barcelona win. Player goals, shots and Barcelona team-goal markets become more interesting when the scoring is being shared rather than relying on one striker to do everything.
The Athletic result may be the more useful one
The 5-0 and 5-2 scorelines are attacking masterpieces that Flick’s Barcelona have shown time and time again, but the 2-0 against Athletic Club is probably worth keeping in mind as well. Athletic are a very different opponent from Elche or Rayo, and Barcelona still came through without conceding. That gives bettors a slightly wider picture. Barcelona have already shown they can run up a score, but they have also managed a more controlled league win. It is still only three games, so there is no reason to treat every Barcelona match as an automatic high-scoring affair.
Rayo also gave bettors something to watch
Barcelona scoring five again looks excellent on paper, although conceding twice to Rayo is a reminder that this side can still leave something at the other end. That could become relevant for both-teams-to-score or goals markets once Barcelona start meeting stronger attacking sides. One match is not enough to make it a trend, but it is more useful to notice that than simply seeing another comfortable Barcelona victory. Flick himself described it as a good start after the Rayo win, which is probably the sensible level of excitement after three matches.
Valencia should tell us a little more
Barcelona’s next league match is away to Valencia on September 6. That gives bettors another chance to see whether the early scoring continues away from home and whether the two goals conceded against Rayo were just one loose evening or something worth following. At the moment, Barcelona form looks excellent. Eleven goals and a perfect nine points make that difficult to argue with. The more useful betting question now is not whether Barcelona are playing well. It is which part of that form is likely to travel from one match to the next.
