Ath Bilbao vs Osasuna prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-03-29 16:30.
[p]These are heady days for Athletic Bilbao, who are sitting comfortably in fourth place in La Liga, well clear of the chasing pack with a UEFA Europa League quarter-final against Rangers coming up next month. On a three-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W2, D1), they resume following the international break by taking on fellow northern Spain outfit, Osasuna.[/p]
[p]It’s a fixture in which they’ve struggled recently as Athletic have only won one of the last six league H2Hs they’ve hosted (D4, L1), yet with an unbeaten record in La Liga home games since late August (W7, D4), Ernesto Valverde’s side should be confident. Central to their superb home league form this term (W8, D5, L1) has been a strong defence, with no side having conceded fewer goals at home in La Liga than the Lions this term (nine).[/p]
[p]That could spell further trouble for misfiring Osasuna as they attempt to bounce back from Thursday night’s 3-0 defeat against Barcelona, a loss that extended their winless run in all competitions to seven matches (D3, L4) but caused some controversy as Osasuna have lodged an appeal over the eligibility of a Barcelona player in that game. One thing is certain though, that poor recent sequence has left Osasuna languishing in a disappointing lower mid-table position and they could still be sucked into a relegation scrap if they don’t start picking up points soon.[/p]
[p]Poor away performances have been particularly damaging for Los Rojillos, who haven’t won a La Liga game on their travels since beating Real Sociedad in October (D4, L4), with all four of those defeats seeing them fail to score. At least their decent record here of late offers a glimmer of hope, as they embark on the second of three consecutive away league games.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Fresh from helping Spain reach the UEFA Nations League finals, Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simón has kept three clean sheets across his last eight La Liga appearances, doing likewise in two of the last three home H2Hs. Aimar Oroz has scored 12% (four) of Osasuna’s league goals this term, all of which came in games in which his side avoided defeat (W1, D2).[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Athletic are the only side yet to trail a La Liga home game at half-time this season (HT: W9, D5).[/p]
[p][i]Written by John Pennington[/i][/p]