Ath Bilbao vs Getafe prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-08-14 17:00.
[p]After finishing fifth in La Liga and winning the Copa del Rey in 2023/24, Athletic Bilbao will find it difficult to improve on a hugely successful campaign again this time around. The Basque outfit have largely been quiet in the summer transfer market, but the 12-month extension of head coach Ernesto Valverde’s contract in May is arguably the most important bit of business that they will do this year, while prize asset Nico Williams seems set to stay at the club for long enough to feature in this season’s opener on Thursday. [/p]
[p]That match will be against Getafe, who Athletic are unbeaten against in eight H2H games. That run isn’t as impressive as it initially appears, as six of those encounters were draws, including last term’s corresponding fixture, which saw Valverde’s side twice squander the lead as they were ultimately held 2-2 – one of only five occasions last season in which they dropped points from a winning position. [/p]
[p]Despite that positive result last term, Getafe will be under no illusions about the size of the task at hand, given that only Real Madrid lost fewer La Liga home matches last season than Athletic’s one. That statistic, along with the fact that only Cádiz and Granada won fewer away games in Spain’s top flight during that same period than Getafe’s two, means that a victory for the visitors seems pretty unlikely in this opening fixture. [/p]
[p]The summer departures of Mason Greenwood, Jaime Mata, Juanmi Latasa and Ă“scar RodrĂguez have certainly removed some firepower from Los Azulones’ frontline, so it might be unwise to expect JosĂ© Bordalás’ side to replicate last season’s 12th-placed finish. Without that quartet, Getafe will be aiming to reverse a trend that has seen them fail to find the net in their opening match across the last three campaigns, albeit the most recent such occasion saw them draw 0-0 with Barcelona. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Williams assisted twice at Getafe during Athletic’s 2-0 win in May, part of a sequence which saw him register five goal involvements (G2, A3) in as many appearances at club level before starring for Spain at UEFA Euro 2024. Getafe’s leading marksman from last season, Borja Mayoral, remains at the club for the time being but he’s failed to score in nine prior H2Hs – his most matches without scoring against any side in his career.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Getafe picked up 139 cards in La Liga in 2023/24 – 25 more than the next-worst offenders![/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]