Verdict: Athletic Bilbao draw no bet
Best Odds: 8/11
Bookmaker: Unibet
Looking to spring an upset on Saturday night, Athletic Bilbao will welcome Atletico Madrid to San Mames this weekend.
Athletic Bilbao
Starting with the hosts, mounting an impressive comeback away at Sevilla last weekend as they snatched a 1-1 draw away at Sevilla, the mood in Athletic Bilbao’s camp should be at a real high. Continuing to impress on either side of September’s international break, Ernesto Valverde’s men have now collected 10 points from their last four La Liga showdowns. Likewise, heading into the fortnight interval with a thumping 4-0 romp at home against Almeria, the former Barcelona boss has seen his side gain a reputation for their free-scoring displays in the final third. Opening this weekend’s fixtures sat third in the table and with a real Champions League charge at the top of their agenda this season, Bilbao should be smelling the chance to lay down a marker on Saturday night when they return to San Mames here. Likewise, it should also be highlighted that Valverde’s high-flying squad have lost just a single contest on home soil since back on April 14th.
Team News
Shown a late red card in last weekend’s 1-1 draw away at Sevilla, Bilbao will be without former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera on Saturday night.
Likewise, still dealing with recent injury issues, Valverde’s side looks set to once again be without the duo of Dani Vivian and Yuri Berchiche here.
Atletico Madrid
As for the visitors, while Atletico might have known that they faced a must-win showdown earlier in the week, it was another flat display from the former Spanish champions. Eventually having to settle for a 2-2 draw against Club Brugge on home soil, Diego Simeone’s men find themselves under growing scrutiny. Continuing to struggle with their consistency since opening the 2022/23 campaign, Los Colchoneros appear some way off reclaiming their domestic crown this season. Winning just a pair of their previous six matchups across all formats, a run that stems back to September 10th, Atletico could face a tough test here. Now just about hanging onto their spot in the top-four, Simeone’s side should be worried by their most recent meeting against Bilbao. When the two sides faced off back in April, they were hit with a deserved 2-0 loss on the road.
Team News
Atletico have already confirmed that they will be without the duo of Marcos Llorente and Felipe when they make the trip to San Mames on Saturday night.
While Simeone is expected to make a handful of changes following their 0-0 stalemate against Club Brugge in midweek, Joao Felix is once again likely to start among the substitutes.
Key Factors to Consider
- When the two sides last faced off back on April 30th, Athletic Bilbao picked up a 2-0 victory at San Mames.
- Likewise, Saturday’s hosts are unbeaten in each of their previous four straight meetings against the former Spanish champions.
- Bilbao have collected 10 points from their previous four La Liga appearances.
- Atletico Madrid have managed to muster just a pair of wins from any of their last six matchups across all formats.
- Los Colchoneros have seen each of their previous six outings finish with under 3.5 goals.
Conclusion
Continuing to impress this season and with their sights set on clinching a shock top-four finish, Saturday’s hosts should be smelling the chance to lay down a real marker here. Mustering 10 points from their previous four La Liga contests and with the mood in their camp at a red-hot high, Valverde’s men will also be boosted by their eye-catching record against the former Spanish champions. Including a 2-0 victory when they welcomed Madrid to San Mames back in April, Bilbao are unbeaten in each of their last four straight meetings against Atletico. With Simeone’s side continuing to show some worrying inconsistencies, we’re backing a home draw no bet this weekend.
Verdict: Athletic Bilbao draw no bet
Best Odds: 8/11
Bookmaker: Unibet
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