Ath Bilbao vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-04-26 20:00.
Following a five-match unbeaten La Liga (LL) run (W4, D1), Athletic Bilbao look primed to make a late assault on the European places. Starting the round just one point shy of sixth place, but collecting more points than any other LL side across the five rounds prior, Athletic are certainly hitting form at the right time and ought to be confident of securing back-to-back LL home wins for the first time in 2023 when Sevilla come to town.
Victories are certainly something Athletic are accustomed to when they host Sevilla, collecting a half-century of top-flight home wins (W50, D10, L18). Regardless of how impressive that historical top-flight home H2H record is, for Athletic to improve upon that here they will have to overcome the psychological barrier of having lost each of their last four Thursday-held LL home games.
Conquerors of Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, Sevilla repeated their European heroics in LL at the weekend with a 2-1 victory against Villarreal. That win further soothed any relegation fears, but with an eight-point cushion to the drop zone ahead of the round, Sevilla can’t yet sit comfortably.
A continuation of their impressive away form under new boss José Luis Mendilibar (W2, D1) would certainly go some way to securing another LL season. That success has largely been built on scoring goals, with all three of those games seeing Sevilla score exactly twice. Considering all six strikes arrived after half-time, many expect Sevilla to showcase their ability to grow into games.
Players to watch: It’s no coincidence to see Athletic striker Iñaki Williams and his club enjoying greater success in recent weeks, for 16 of his last 19 competitive goalscoring appearances have been winning ones (D3)! Youssef En-Nesyri was Sevilla’s hero at the weekend but he’s well averse to losing here, tasting defeat in four of his five personal LL away H2Hs.
Hot stat: Only Real Madrid (11) have seen more of their LL goals this season scored by defenders than Sevilla’s nine.