Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla
Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla Thursday 9 July 2020 – 21:00 Kick-Off
Spanish La Liga
Pick: Draw
Odds: 2/1
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 7 July 2020)
Preview: The tussle for European places takes centre stage at San Mames on Thursday, as Europa League-chasing Athletic Bilbao seek an immediate response to last weekend’s narrow defeat to La Liga leaders Real Madrid by picking up a positive result next time out at home to Sevilla.
Spanish La Liga Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Athletic Bilbao Preview – Excellent record at San Mames to inspire positive outcome?
The team from the Basque Country recently became the third successive 1-0 victim of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, after a Sergio Ramos penalty ultimately proved the undoing of Athletic Bilbao (8th – W12 D12 L10) last Sunday to deny Gaizka Gartiano and his players what would have been a second goalless draw with Zidane’s men of the season. In truth, though, it was a valiant effort but a deserved outcome, having comfortably lost the xG battle.
Bilbao created just 0.37 worth of xGF against Real Madrid, who ended the contest having racked up 2.74. A similar outcome to when they faced Barcelona last month, losing again by a single goal despite struggling to truly assert themselves on proceedings (xG BAR 2.27 – 0.62 ATH). Yet those were the only defeats sustained since the end of February, a run of nine games that included five wins and two draws.
Three of those aforementioned wins were at home, in San Mames, where this season Athletic Bilbao retain an excellent record, losing four of seventeen La Liga games thus far (W9 D4 L4). Prior to facing Real Madrid, meanwhile, they had won four of the last five said matches and, strikingly, have shipped more than one goal in a home game on just one occasion all season – in February’s 2-0 reverse to Getafe.
Sevilla Preview – Lopetegui’s men bidding to make it twelve unbeaten?
As it turned out, last weekend’s round of La Liga games could not have panned out any better. The fact none of the teams immediately below them, from 5th-place all the way down to 12th in the table, managed to record a win undoubtedly helped Sevilla (4th – W16 D12 L6), who were slightly fortunate to beat Eibar 1-0 at home, strengthen their grip of fourth and increase the likelihood of the club competing in next season’s Champions League.
Lucas Ocampos’ goal ten minutes after the half-time break ensured a narrow success for Julen Lopetegui and his team, despite losing the xG battle (SEV 1.57 – 1.92 EIB) at home to a side only one place above the La Liga drop zone. Ultimately it was a second quick-fire victory, after beating relegation-threatened Leganes 3-0 on the road, for a Seville side that had previously slumped to four successive draws to surrender third place.
All these draws haven’t amounted to nothing, however: Sevilla are currently eleven games without defeat (W5 D6) in La Liga. Only the team which has recently usurped them in third, Atletico Madrid, have gone longer without losing (12 games unbeaten). Yet that aforementioned win in Leganes was just a second on the road for Los Palanganas in their past seven such fixtures (Last 7 away results: W2 D3 L2).
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla Betting Advice
A couple of very awkward customers here, with Athletic Bilbao suffering two losses across their previous nine league games (W5 D2 L2) and Sevilla now up to eleven matches unbeaten (W5 D6). Furthermore, neither can afford to take their eye off the tasks at hand. For Bilbao it is securing a top-six finish (currently five points worse off) while Sevilla is all about cementing their status in the top-four (six points clear of fifth).
Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla – Key Facts
- Getafe are the only team in 2019-20 to have scored more than one goal away to Athletic Bilbao – whose 10 goals conceded in 17 home fixtures ranks best alongside Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
- Atletico Madrid (12 games) are the only team currently on a longer run without losing in La Liga than Sevilla (11 games – W5 D6)
- The points were shared when these teams met in Seville in January – the pair’s first drawn encounter in La Liga for more than seven years.
Considering the battling qualities of either side, the draw has obvious appeal. These teams have both drawn twelve games in La Liga this season – only Atletico Madrid (14) and Real Valladolid (15) boast more – while both are conceding at a rate of less than a goal per game. This promises to be a tight, evenly-fought encounter therefore. Similar, perhaps, to the 1-1 stalemate earlier in the season at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
Best Betting Odds – Athletic Bilbao Vs Sevilla
Athletic Bilbao – 2/1 (Ladbrokes)
Draw – 2/1 (Bet365)
Sevilla – 8/5 (Betway)
