The final game of the weekend in the Spanish La Liga comes in Bilbao as Athletic Club take on Real Betis at the San Mamés Barria. The hosts begin the weekend in 15th place on 9 points while the visitors are in 7th place on 12 points.
Athletic Bilbao coming to the match having suffered a 2-1 defeat at Real Valladolid prior to the international break.
Athletic Bilbao fell 2-0 down after half-time and did not pull a goal back until the 86th minute from the penalty spot, by which time it was too late too stage a comeback. It was a disappointing result against a team that remains in the relegation zone.
Trends show Athletic Bilbao have won each of their last 2 home league games, beating Sevilla 2-1 and Levante 2-0.
However, they are the only two victories Athletic Bilbao have managed in their last 7 home La Liga fixtures. There have been defeats against Real Madrid, Sevilla, Leganes, and Cadiz.
Athletic Bilbao have been struggling to keep clean sheets at home and they have managed only one in their last 7 home La Liga matches. However, they have scored two goals in each of their last 2 home league games.
A look at their overall recent form shows Athletic Bilbao have recorded 7 losses in their last 10 games in La Liga.
Real Betis travelled to Barcelona before the international fixtures and suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat. Having fallen a goal behind, Real Betis scored the equaliser just before half time only to concede 2 goals inside the first 15 minutes of the second half. Real Betis pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute but having had a man sent off, Barcelona scored 2 additional goals before the final whistle.
That was a third defeat 4 league games for Real Betis. They lost 3-0 at home against Real Sociedad and then went down 2-0 at Atletico Madrid. The only positive in their last 4 matches was the 3-1 home victory against Elche.
Real Betis’ away form has been poor for some time and trends show they have won only 3 of their last 24 La Liga games on the road. They have conceded 10 goals in their last 4 away League matches and that includes a clean sheet at Valencia.
Team news and Athletic Bilbao will be without Dani García, Iñigo Lekue, and Jokin Ezkieta due to COVID-19. Óscar de Marcos, Peru Nolaskoain, and Ibai Gómez are doubts due to injury.
Real Betis will be without Aissa Mandi following his red card against Barcelona. Nabil Fekir, Juan Miguel Juanmi Lopez, Dani Martín, and Víctor Camarasa are all expected to miss the game due to injury problems.
We expect to see both teams find the back of the net in this game but considering Real Betis’ poor away form, the hosts have to be favourites to take maximum points. A home win, with both teams to score seems a likely outcome.