Betis vs Ath Bilbao prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-02-24 15:15.
Despite the team losing further ground on the top four with a 0-0 draw at home to mid-table Alavés, Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini pointed to an improvement in his players’ tenacity and intensity as a sign that their La Liga season has not yet derailed. Three consecutive home games without victory, including draws with two clubs beneath them in the rankings, is less than ideal for a side that were dumped out of European action by Dinamo Zagreb in midweek and start this round outside the top six.
It’s especially discouraging home form given their next assignment is against an Athletic Bilbao side challenging for UEFA Champions League qualification. That’s mostly because Betis are yet to win a single La Liga game this season home or away against the sides starting this round above them in the top six (D4, L3), conceding the opening goal on four occasions.
Athletic Bilbao highlighted their extensive goalscoring capabilities last weekend by defeating fellow top-four hopefuls Girona 3-2 to continue their best 25-game start to a top-flight season in 40 years. The win “meant a lot” to head coach Ernesto Valverde, who remains out of contract at the end of the season, as it reinforced their belief that they can conquer other clubs chasing European football next season.
But whilst that and their 4-2 win over Betis in August should provide plenty of motivation, Athletic’s aspirations to participate in their first UEFA Champions League since 2014/15 could depend on picking up more points away from home. They failed to score against both Cádiz (0-0) and AlmerĂa (0-0) in their last two La Liga away trips, and have accumulated just one point away to clubs starting this round in the top half (D1, L3).
Players to watch: You’d have to go back to December 2023 to find that defender Germán Pezzella was the last Betis player to score in a La Liga home game other than the injured Isco. Similarly, Mikel Vesga was the last Athletic player to open their account in an away league game, whilst he also did so in the previous H2H.
Hot stat: In stark contrast with the reverse H2H, 16 of the last 21 La Liga matches involving either club produced under 2.5 total goals.