Ath Bilbao vs Espanyol prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-10-18 12:00.
[p]It’s been a satisfactory start to the La Liga campaign for Athletic Club, who head into the weekend inside the European places but wounded from their first defeat in seven competitive matches (W4, D2) before the international break. They might still feel hard done by from that 2-1 loss to Girona after failing to score two penalties in a single top-flight game for the first time in the 21st century.  [/p]
[p]Athletic boss Ernesto Valverde will have been left frustrated by his side’s finishing but will be expecting them to get back on track in that sense here given his side failed to score just once in their last 17 La Liga contests, helping aid what is a standout record of just one defeat in their last 23 such home games (W14, D8)![/p]
[p]Opponents Espanyol might be one of the few who could arrive at San MamĂ©s without intimidation of their opponents’ strength on their own turf. They travel to Bilbao on a high from a 2-1 victory over Mallorca, which also ended a three-game losing streak, and Espanyol fans might also remember that they won 1-0 on their last La Liga visit here in the 2022/23 campaign! [/p]
[p]All of that is unlikely to provide any immediate remedy to some dreadful away league form however, with Espanyol having failed to win an away game yet this season, with only bottom two Las Palmas and Valladolid picking up fewer than Espanyol’s one away point so far. Their only La Liga strike on the road also came via an own goal, but they have managed to find the net at least once in the last five H2Hs (W1, D2, L2), so we could finally see some Espanyol goalmouth action here! [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Despite perhaps missing the chemistry with brother Nico, who is a doubt for this game, watch out for Iñaki Williams. He has five goal contributions from his last five La Liga matches (G1, A4) and netted the last time these sides faced in La Liga! Espanyol’s Jofre Carreras will want to keep up his impressive form after he struck a goal and assisted in his side’s victory last time out, with both his league goals this campaign arriving inside the five minutes either side of half-time. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Espanyol are winless in 13 La Liga contests (D5, L8) against the current top six ahead of the gameweek, since beating Athletic in 2022/23![/p]
[p][i]Written by Luke Bridle[/i][/p]