Ath Bilbao vs Real Sociedad prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-11-23 20:00.
[p]Athletic Bilbao occupied the Conference League play-off round qualification spot during the international break after slipping out of the top four with draws away to both Mallorca (0-0) and Valladolid (1-1). Whilst he didnât wish to use it as an excuse, manager Ernesto Valverde admitted there were concerns that his team had won just one of six La Liga games since the start of the Europa League proper (D4, L1).[/p]
[p]Two games a week is a challenge that Valverde will have to continue managing for the next two months, the first of which could be potentially season-defining, as they face Real Sociedad. Over the next four rounds, theyâll host three clubs jostling with them for the top six, which could establish their status as a genuine Champions League contender or otherwise. Honourable losses to AtlĂ©tico Madrid (1-0 home) and Barcelona (2-1 away) were encouraging albeit fruitless.[/p]
[p]Sociedad picked up their first prize scalp of the league season when they became just the second club to beat La Liga leaders Barcelona, with that 1-0 success marking the first time this campaign theyâd notched up consecutive league victories. It was a surprising result from a club enduring their worst league season in almost a decade, but not for manager Imanol Alguacil who described the result as âdeserved and fairâ. [/p]
[p]Three victories from their last four La Liga matches, including a pair of wins âto nilâ on the road at Sevilla (2-0) and Girona (1-0), suggests things are turning around at a domestic level. To keep the good times rolling, Sociedad are going to have to break a trend that has seen the home side of the day win the last five H2Hs, and most quite comprehensively as four came via a 2+ goal margin. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Nico Williams made the most of his start for Spain by assisting the opening goal and returning the best Flashscore rating of their Nations League win over Switzerland. But 72 hours before that, it was Sociedadâs Mikel Oyarzabal who put Spain 1-0 up in their 2-1 win away to Denmark. Oyarzabal relishes this matchup, scoring in three of the last four H2Hs. [/p]
[p]Hot streak: The pre-match favourite didnât lose any of Athletic Bilbaoâs last 25 La Liga games (W16, D9). Â [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]