Ath Bilbao vs Betis prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-08-26 19:30.
After a 2-0 home defeat against Real Madrid in the opening round of fixtures and a 2-0 victory over Osasuna last week, Athletic Bilbao will be looking to produce successive wins in La Liga (LL) for the first time in nine games (W1, D2, L6) on Sunday evening. However, in order to do so, they’ll need to turn around their recent home form which has yielded only two wins from their last nine league fixtures (W2, D1, L6).
Head coach Ernesto Valverde, who is in his third spell in charge of the Lions, pointed at the lack of big chances Osasuna were able to create against his side as being key. Unai Simón’s clean sheet at El Sadar was Athletic’s first in ten LL matches and Valverde will be looking for more of the same against a Real Betis side who failed to score last weekend.
Finding the back of the net was an issue last season for Los Verdiblancos, who finished in sixth place but scored fewer goals than all of the top five teams. They have hit only nine goals across their last ten LL games but the tide may be turning on their travels, with Betis winning 2-1 in their last two league trips, including at Villarreal in round one of this campaign.
A 0-0 draw at home with Atletico Madrid followed that game, meaning Manuel Pellegrini’s side will arrive at San Mamés looking to avoid defeat in their opening three LL games for the second successive season. That might not be so easy, however, as although last season’s 1-0 victory here made it three straight clean sheets against Athletic anywhere (W2, D1), it was a result that threw the history book out of the window, after Betis had lost on their previous nine visits to this venue!
Players to watch: Nico Williams assisted both goals for Athletic against Osasuna last week and the 21 year old is already halfway to matching his LL assist tally from last season. Ayoze Pérez's strike in Betis’ last away game was his sixth straight club goal to arrive before half-time, and he’ll now be targeting his third goal in his last four LL matches this Sunday.
Hot stat: Athletic have failed to score in six of their last eight LL home games.