LiontipsAthletic - Espanyol. Forecast (odds 4.20) and bets on the match of the Spanish championship
Command Analysis
Current form
It has been a satisfactory start to the La Liga campaign for Athletic, who head into the weekend in the European spots but are traumatised by their first defeat in seven competitive matches before the international break. They may still feel aggrieved by that 2-1 defeat to Girona, having failed to score two penalties in a top-flight game for the first time in the 21st century. Furthermore, Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde must be frustrated by his side’s performance, but he expects them to bounce back given that his side have failed to score just once in their last 17 La Liga games.
Injuries and disqualifications
Simon (wrist injury), Sunset (thigh injury) and Paredas (red card) will be out.
Interesting trends for betting
- Athletic have an outstanding record of just one defeat in their last 23 home games
- The Basque club have not suffered a defeat in La Liga at home for more than 12 months
- In their final La Liga game, Bilbao failed to score two penalties in a top-flight game for the first time in the 21st century
Estimated lineup : Padilla - Rincon, Egueluz, Lecue, Boiro - Herrera, Canales, Olabar, Gomez - Javier, Williams.
Current form
Espanyol are one of the few to arrive at San Mamés undeterred by the strength of their opponents on their own soil. They travel to Bilbao on the back of a 2-1 win over Mallorca that also ended a run of three defeats, and away fans will remember that they won 1-0 on their last visit here in La Liga in 2022/23. However, all that is unlikely to provide an immediate fix to their abysmal away form in the league, as the Parrots have failed to win a single away game this season, with only the bottom two, Las Palmas and Valladolid, having picked up fewer than one away point from the visitors.
Disqualifications and injuries
Exposito (knee injury) and Poidreau are out of the game.
Interesting trends for betting
Espanyol have not won 13 La Liga games against the current top six teams before gameweek since beating Athletic in 2022-23.
Espanyol Jofre Carreras will want to continue his impressive form after he scored a goal and provided an assist in his side win last time out, with both of his league goals this campaign coming within five minutes of the break.
Estimated line-up : Garcia – Terejo, El Hilili, Gomez, Carbero, Romero – Milla, Graguera, Lozano – Cardona, Roca.
Trends
Bet Exact score 1:1
Four of the last six head-to-head matches have seen this score
6.50Bet Goals in both halves – no
In 3 of Athletic last 5 matches, goals were scored in the same half
1.82Bet Corners: Total Under 9.5
In 3 of the last 5 matches of the hosts such a bet took place
1.88Bet Number 1 in the score
In three of the last six matches this bet has played out
1.65Tip and bets
Today we expect active football, the opponents have had a rest during the break for the national team games, which can give them additional strength and desire. In addition, both clubs have a huge deficit in goals scored and often please with their creative play. Let us add that in three of the last five face-to-face duels, both clubs certainly distinguished themselves, which we expect today as well.
Our prediction is both will score and we are betting on it with odds of 2.10
Bet on the outcome
Athletic are playing very well at their home ground San Mames, where the team will have serious support. However, the visitors have a positive experience of meetings with the Basques and we hope that they have a recipe for a successful game. The hosts are the favorites, but we believe that today the Catalans have a chance to cling to tournament points due to maximum dedication.
Forecast - draw with odds of 4.20
Bet on a penalty
Most likely, everything can be decided by VAR, which will find a violation in the penalty area, which will decide the outcome of the confrontation. Moreover, in two of the last five face-to-face matches, a kick from 11 meters was awarded.
Prediction - penalty (yes) for 2.55
