Ath Bilbao vs Osasuna prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-01-08 20:00.
Athletic Bilbao couldnât honour the late memory of club legend Txetxu Rojo with a victory away to Real Betis (D 0-0), but they did the pursuit of their first UEFA Champions League appearance since 2014/15 little harm with a crucial point that left them within arms reach of the top four. Ahead of some stern tests against Sociedad and Real Madrid later in the month, this home fixture against mid-table Osasuna must be taken advantage of.
The home side entered the World Cup intermission following a pair of home victories against Villarreal and Valladolid, both with clean sheets, which alone makes a strong case for another three points here. Add to that their five wins from seven LL home games (D1, L1) against clubs below them in the standings at the start of the round and itâs easy to see why Athletic start the game as favourites.
Osasuna have to go back only to 2019/20 for their last LL victory at Athletic (1-0), in a season where they went on to finish one point above them in the standings (tenth and 11th). Ironically, they would be one point ahead at the end of this round – potentially as high as fifth place – if they were to take a victory here!
Manager Jagoba Arrasate would be the first to admit thoughts of the top four would be premature right now after they were outclassed by both Sociedad (0-2) and Barcelona (1-2) recently. After publicly accepting his side were below their best against Sociedad, Arrasate must find a new way to inspire his team here, especially as Osasuna have one of LLâs poorer records as away outsiders this season (W1, D2, L3).
Players to watch: Gorka Guruzeta scored goals either side of half-time in Athleticâs last home outing (W 3-0 against Valladolid), the first of which ended a run of eight consecutive second-half goals for either side in their matches. On the other hand, all six of Chimy Ăvilaâs goals for Osasuna in 2022/23 were prior to the interval.
Hot stat: The half-time result was replicated at the final whistle in all but one of the last ten H2H meetings.