Prediction: Athletic Bilbao vs Paris Saint-Germain

29th September 2011

Atheltic Bilbao return to Europa League comforts following some dismal performances in La Liga, with fans at San Mames finally expecting to see real los Leones under Marcelo Bielsa. The hosts won’t have it easy against high-flying Paris Saint-Germain, with the Saints arriving to Basque country nearly at full strength.

Having largely impressed in La Liga last season, Atheltic Bilbao not only managed to lure one of best Spain Under-21 players Ander Herrera to San Mames, but also managed to persuade world-class coach Marcelo Bielsa into taking over the reigns from Joaquin Caparros. With no big squad changes in the summer, los Leones were expected to start the season strongly, but the players seemed to have big problems adapting to the coaching style of El Loco Bielsa and we are, therefore, yet to see Atletico at its best. Athletic were awarded a place in Europa League group stages without even playing the return leg against Trabzonspor and they took advantage of the gift to beat Slovan Bratilsava in their opening game. However, los Leones experienced major problems on domestic stage, picking up just two points from five La Liga games, meaning they are now in desperate need of a morale-boosting win. Bielsa is set to revert to four-man backline with recovered Oscar de Marcos returning to the starting line-up, and that is likely to be the only change to the side that shared spoils with Villarreal at the weekend.

The new owners of the club wasted no time and money in trying to get Paris Saint-Germain back where they belong, bringing a host of world-class players in the summer transfer window. Salvatore Sirigu, Diego Lugano, Jeremy Menez, Blaise Matuidi, Javier Pastore and Kevin Gameiro have all adapted to the new surroundings much quicker than anyone had expected, as a result of which the Saints have been in scintillating form at the start of the season. Following the opening defeat to Lorient, Paris Saint-Germain embarked on a ten-match unbeaten run, winning eight and drawing just two games in the process. The players are brimming with confidence after the impressive away win over Montpellier and they can be forgiven for feeling optimistic before the clash at San Mames. Coach Antoine Kombouare decided to leave Jeremy Menez and Kevin Gameiro in France, whereas Giullaume Hoarau, Milan Bisevac and Mamadou Sakho have been ruled out through injury.

Conclusion

Athletic Bilbao showed some promise in the weekend’s draw with Villarreal and los Leones will be very motivated to prove everyone that they are a much better team than the latest results would suggest. Paris Saint-Germain are playing really well at the moment, but they don’t seem to be taking this game very seriously, and that is likely to prevent them from taking all the points from San Mames.

Verdict: Draw (X)

Best Odds: 2/1

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler