Granada Vs Athletic Bilbao
Granada Vs Athletic Bilbao Friday 11th September 2020 – 20:00 (GMT)
Spain La Liga
Pick: Granada to WIN
Odds: 19/10
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 8th September 2020)
Preview: The 2020-21 La Liga season gets underway in Andalusia this Friday, as Granada seek to build on last season’s top-half finish by making a bright start first time out at home to Athletic Bilbao – with the latter beaten 4-0 at Nuevo Los Carmenes on the final day of last term.
Spain La Liga Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Granada Preview – Home comforts can propel El Grana?
Despite exceeding expectations in 2019-20, survival is once again the main aim for Granada CF. In their first term back in Spain’s top tier following a two-year absence, the club comfortably avoided relegation with a top-half finish, even managing to sneak into Europe with a resounding 4-0 victory at Nuevo Los Carmenes over Athletic Bilbao on the final day of a protracted campaign spanning eleven months.
Here, they open their accounts for 2020-21 in much the same fashion in which they wrapped up the previous term – at home to Athletic Bilbao. Granada would actually lose their opening match in front of their fans last time around, losing 1-0 to a Sevilla side who would eventually go on to be crowned Europa League champions, a competition Granada are set to feature in for the first time in their history.
After Sevilla came four successive home wins, all without conceding and included a stunning 2-0 scoreline over then-defending La Liga champs Barcelona. El Grana would win 16 of 38 league games last season, with ten coming on home soil (W10 D3 L6). No visiting team, therefore, will relish this fixture this season. Meanwhile new additions have been made, however the loss of top scorer Carlos Fernandez is a blow.
Athletic Bilbao Preview – New season but same old issues?
Last season, Athletic Bilbao were a team of fits and spurts. Capable of meaningful spells without losing (on four separate occasions they went five or more matches without incurring a single defeat), they were equally as prone to alarming dips in form, such as their ten-game winless stretch between early December and mid-February. Therefore, perhaps a quiet off-season will bring the desired continuity this team craves.
At the time of writing the club has neither spent nor received any money for players in the current transfer window, according to Transfermarkt. Perhaps missing out on qualifying for the Europa League when well-placed to do so (victory in the suspended Copa del Rey final would have seen them qualify) has scuppered their plans, but a dismal conclusion to 2019-20 certainly hinted at reinforcements being needed.
Bilbao initially reacted well to post-lockdown football, collecting 11 points from their first six La Liga games played without fans inside grounds. At that stage they were prominent in the race for Europe. However, it unravelled dramatically towards the finishing line as the San Mames outfit lost four of their final five encounters to finish outside the top-ten, losing 4-0 at Granada on the final day.
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Granada Vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Advice
It took Athletic Bilbao until November to win their first away league game of last season, drawing four and losing two of their opening six away match-ups beforehand. They would only win another three times on the road thereafter (W4 D8 L7), succumbing in Granada in emphatic fashion when losing 4-0 on the very last day. Meanwhile, Granada were terrific on home soil throughout 2019-20 (W10 D3 L6).
Granada Vs Athletic Bilbao – Key Facts
- In 2019-20, Granada won four of their first five home La Liga games whereas Athletic Bilbao failed to win across their opening six matches played away from home.
- Seven of the ten Granada home wins last season were achieved without letting in a goal. Four of Athletic Bilbao‘s seven away defeats seen them fail to score.
- The side playing at home has won each of the last five head-to-head matches between the two clubs, with Granada winning at home in both the Copa del Rey (2-1) and La Liga (4-0) in 2019-20.
The hosts are overpriced for this. Matching last season’s highly impressive exploits won’t be easy, that goes without saying, but there is no escaping just how strong Granada were on their own patch last time around. Bilbao were far from reliable on their travels as well. Granada or Draw (1/2 with Boylesports) and Granada Draw No Bet (10/11 Betway) both appeal as cautious alternatives to backing them outright.
Best Betting Odds – Granada Vs Athletic Bilbao
Granada – 19/10 (Betfair)
Draw – 21/10 (Betway)
Athletic Bilbao – 17/10 (BetVictor)
