Ath Bilbao vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-08-16 17:30.
[p]Athletic Club’s 95th consecutive La Liga season kicks off at home against Sevilla, who are looking to rebound under another new manager in the 2025/26 campaign.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Athletic enjoyed a fruitful campaign in 2024/25, accumulating a joint-league low six defeats as they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in a decade. The Lions have arguably already achieved their main summer objective in keeping hold of star player Nico Williams, who signed a new long-term deal to stave off interest from Barcelona. The mood has dampened somewhat since after a run of six successive defeats in pre-season, but nowhere could be better to put that right than the San Mamés, as only Real Madrid (2) have suffered fewer home losses in La Liga since the start of 2023/24 than Athletic (3). [/p]
[p]The summer brought about yet another change in leadership at Sevilla, as MatĂas Almeyda was announced as the club’s eighth head coach in just three years. He now has the unenviable task of reversing the decline of three consecutive bottom-half finishes for a club synonymous with achievements in Europe, who remarkably only avoided relegation last term by the skin of their teeth. They ended the campaign with eight defeats across their last 11 league games (W1, D2), and a quiet transfer window so far indicates that another difficult season could be in store.[/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Athletic are unbeaten across the last four La Liga meetings between these sides (W3, D1), though the draw came in last season’s corresponding fixture (1-1). Sevilla have enjoyed this venue, winning three of their last six visits to San Mamés (D1, L2).[/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde has lost only one of his last 11 home games against Sevilla in La Liga (W9, D1).[/p]
[p]Athletic haven’t won their opening league game in any of the last five seasons (D3, L2).[/p]
[p]Sevilla haven’t won their opening La Liga match in the last three seasons (D1, L2).[/p]
[p]Sevilla have lost each of their last five away league matches, with four of those defeats coming by a single-goal margin.[/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Athletic goalkeeper Unai SimĂłn missed the first 16 games of the previous La Liga campaign, but made four saves in a 1-0 win over Sevilla in March to make it back-to-back H2H clean sheets. Sevilla’s Dodi LukĂ©bakio could threaten having scored in back-to-back pre-season games – his last four league goals have come on the road and beyond the 80th minute.[/p]
[p]Athletic are set to be without Oihan Sancet, Beñat Prados, Unai Gómez and Aitor Paredes, while Sevilla could be without Loïc Badé, who is carrying a calf injury and is the subject of transfer interest. [/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]Athletic’s formidable home form, combined with Sevilla’s away day struggles, means that backing an Athletic win could be a good pick.[/p]
[p][i]Author: Sridhar Bhamidi[/i][/p]