On Sunday evening, Athletic Bilbao hosts Celta Vigo at San Mames, in a game that could be crucial to the survival hopes of the visitors.
Athletic Bilbao are seventh-place in La Liga, five points outside the European spots with slim hopes of claiming a European berth for next season. A recent inconsistent run of form in La Liga has hampered Athletic’s chances of a securing a top-six spot this season.
In fact, a 1-0 defeat at Real Valladolid last time out in La Liga means that the home side has won just once in four league outings. The defeat was also the third straight Athletic league game to produce under 2.5 goals.
Athletic have a strong recent record at San Mames in La Liga, as they are unbeaten in 13 matches on home soil. However, their recent home games in the Spanish top-flight have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in 11 of their last 13 league matches on home soil.
Celta Vigo are still just three points clear of the relegation zone, despite an unbeaten run of four games in La Liga.
Last time out, Celta recorded a 2-0 victory over champions Barcelona. The victory over the Catalans brought another low-scoring game, as four of Celta’s last five league games have produced under 2.5 goals.
The visitors have drawn their last two away games against Espanyol and Leganes, but have failed to win in 11 matches on their travels in the Spanish top-flight.
Celta’s recent away games in La Liga have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in six of their last seven matches in the Spanish top-flight. The fact the visitors have failed to score in five of their last seven games on their travels has been a big factor in those low-scoring encounters.
Forebet predicts that Athletic Bilbao will record a victory in a low-scoring clash, which may keep Celta sweating on their top-flight status for another week.