Eibar Vs Athletic Bilbao
Eibar Vs Athletic Bilbao Friday 25 September 2020 – 20:00 (GMT)
Spanish La Liga
Pick: Draw
Odds: 21/10
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 22 September 2020)
Preview: Just a second La Liga outing of 2020-21 for Athletic Bilbao, and once again Gaizka Garitano’s charges are sent travelling. Up next for them is the Ipurua Stadium and Eibar, who are making preparations for their third league game of the campaign having failed to win either of the previous two.
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Table of Contents
Eibar Preview – Sporadic form no use to backers?
For the third successive season in La Liga, Eibar have begun the league campaign by failing to win either of their opening two matches. Offering next to nothing from an attacking perspective in a goalless draw at home to Celta Vigo on the opening weekend, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men were then beaten 2-1 away at Villarreal in a game which seen them take the lead shortly after the break.
Eibar would at least present a more credible threat going forward, however, this undoubtedly came at a price with Villarreal generating more than double the amount of xG over 90 minutes (VIL 3.63 – 1.50 EIB). Eibar’s goal came via forward Kike Garcia, which is possibly a good omen ahead of Friday’s encounter with Athletic Bilbao. The former Middlesbrough man netted in last season’s 2-2 draw at the Ipurua.
Coupled with the form they produced towards the end of last term, this is now a team with only two wins and six goals scored in its last eight La Liga games (W2 D1 L5). It’s a near identical record at their Ipurua Stadium, having collected eight of eighteen available points (W2 D3 L3) at their Basque Country residence since the beginning of March.
Athletic Bilbao Preview – Lack of goals again their undoing?
Granted their opponents on the night were extremely clinical, with the final scoreline of 2-0 a touch flattering. Even so, Athletic Bilbao turned in a typically uninspiring display to get their 2020-21 La Liga campaign up and running with a defeat, losing on the road at last season’s surprise package Granada on 12 September. And with no fixture last weekend, it has led to two weeks of waiting around for an opportunity to put it right.
Head coach Gaizka Garitano has so far failed to have the desired effect on this team during the off-season. It was only one game, but once again Athletic Bilbao offered very little in an attacking sense in their season opener, finishing proceedings with 0.57 xGF – ironically, a figure marginally higher than what their opponents garnered (0.53). The end result being a fifth defeat in their last six league games stretching into last season.
Each of their previous three La Liga losses were without finding the back of net, so a goal on Friday would be a positive start. Scoring has been a major problem for a while now. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Bilbao have struggled to maintain a scoring average above one per game. Meanwhile, 10 out of 14 defeats during this period were ‘to nil’, implying that when the defence fails, the attack is unlikely to bail it out.
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Eibar Vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Advice
Just three games in and while it is very early days, it is fair to say neither has set the world alight. The pair combining for one point and one goal scored so far, with Eibar accounting for 100% of both tallies. Furthermore, there wasn’t a huge amount of difference between the two come the end of last season, with Athletic Bilbao coming home nine points better off in 11th, with Eibar back in 14th.
Eibar Vs Athletic Bilbao – Key Facts
- Two home wins in eight La Liga games for Eibar (W2 D3 L3), who would failed to notch more than once in six of these games.
- Three consecutive La Liga defeats (one this season and two from last season) without scoring for Athletic Bilbao, who have lost five of their last six league games.
- Athletic Bilbao remain unbeaten versus Eibar in La Liga in nine (W5 D4), since a 2-0 loss at the latter’s Ipurua residence in 2015.
The recent head-to-head favours the visitors, however, as Athletic Bilbao were the only ones to come out on top (and only once) across the past two seasons, with three of four said meetings ending in stalemate. In fact, Bilbao are unbeaten versus Eibar in nine La Liga games (W5 D4) since a 2-0 scoreline at the Ipurua in August 2015. Although the most recent two fixtures here produced scoring draws of 1-1 and 2-2. 1-1 Draw.
Best Betting Odds – Eibar Vs Athletic Bilbao
Eibar – 21/10 (BetFred)
Draw – 21/10 (Bet365)
Athletic Bilbao – 17/10 (Betway)
