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Kick-off: Saturday, 6 February @19:30 GMT
Venue: San Mames Barria (Bilbao)
Live Stream: fuboTV (US), bet365(non-US)
Head to head record
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao 0-1 (2015/2016 Copa del Rey)
Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal 3-2 (2015/2016 Copa del Rey)
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao 3-1 (2015/2016 La Liga)
Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal 4-0 (2014/2015 La Liga)
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao 2-0 (2014/2015 La Liga)
Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal prediction
Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal take on each other in the top-of-the-table game at San Mames Barria. The Lions aim to melt Villarreal’s advantage to seven points in the La Liga standings, but Saturday’s game will be anything but a walk in the park for Ernesto Valverde’s charges.
Last defeat at home back in September
Athletic Bilbao faced a tough fixture list in January and, as expected, the Lions were beaten by both Sevilla and Barcelona on the road. However, the team managed to recover from the back-to-back defeats, with the team crushing Eibar in the local derby (5-2). Ernesto Valverde’s men head into Saturday’s game against Villarreal following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Getafe and they will be looking to cement their spot in the Europa League berth with a triumph over the Yellow Submarine. Athletic Bilbao suffered their last loss at their San Mames on 23 September and it has to be noted that they are eyeing their seventh home win of the season. Inaki Williams scored the winner against Getafe and the talented winger is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition backline.
First-choice shoot-stopper Gorka Iraizoz is a major doubt and he will be assessed on the match day. Ibai Gomez andRaul Garcia remain in the treatment room, but coach Ernesto Valverde has no other injury concerns ahead of the visit of Villarreal.
Champions League on the horizon
Villarreal failed to impress against Granada at the weekend, but thanks to Bruno’s goal from the penalty spot the Yellows picked up all three points from the match. Marcelino’s men managed to strengthen their grip on a place in the Champions League and they will be looking to move one step closer to booking their spot in the elite competition with a win over Athletic Bilbao. Nonetheless, given Bilbao’s brilliant home record, I do not believe that there is a big value in betting on the away team. Villarreal will be more than happy with one point from the game as they are ten points clear of Athletic Bilbao in the La Liga standings and they are widely expected to adopt a defence-minded approach in the San Mames Barria clash. A man to watch in the away team will be Cedric Bakambu, who is eager to start a new goal-scoring run in the national championship.
Denis Suarez and Jaume Costa are both likely to recover in time to face Athletic Bilbao. Adrian Lopez and Samu Castillejo, though, have yet to recover from their respective injuries.
Quick Facts
- Athletic Bilbao scored 2+ goals in six of their last seven home fixtures
- Over 2.5 goals were scored in four of Bilbao’s last five matches
- Lions are eyeing their third straight win in La Liga
- Villarreal scored exactly two goals in each of their last four away games
- Yellows failed to keep a clean sheet in previous three away fixtures
Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal betting tip
Villarreal are ten points clear of Athletic Bilbao in La Liga standings, but considering that the Lions want this win more than their rivals, I am tempted to put my money on the Basque outfit this time out. Ernesto Valverde’s men have been impressive at their San Mames Barria of late and there is every chance the hosts will pick up all three points from Saturday’s encounter. In their last meeting in the Basque Country Athletic Bilbao recorded a 3-2 win over Villarreal (Copa del Rey).
Tip: Athletic Bilbao to win
Odds: 1.80 (4/5) @BetVictor
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Daily Specials
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| Europe | Malaga, Brighton & Sochaux is 7/1 | Claim | @19:00 |
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| Germany | K'lautern, Paderborn & Freiburg is 17/1 | Claim | @17:30 |
| Brighton v Brentford | Brighton to win & BTTS is 7/2 | Claim | @19:45 |
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| Gladbach v Werder | Gladbach to win & BTTS is 9/4 | Claim | @19:30 |
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