Athletic Bilbao are set to take on Real Sociedad in the Basque derby on Sunday, 24 November with both teams separated by just two points in the La Liga table.
After a slow start to the season, Real Sociedad have responded well in recent weeks and can even leapfrog Athletic Bilbao into the top six with a win on Sunday.
The hosts, meanwhile, started off like a train but have since slipped down the table to sixth after some disappointing performances before the international break.
How the bookies view it: A tough match to call
This time last month, Athletic Bilbao would have likely started this match as the favourites but their iffy form combined with Sociedad's resurgence, has left the bookies unsure. The hosts are still the favourites but have only been priced at 6/5 to get the win by Betfred while a win for Real Sociedad has been priced at 13/5. The draw has been priced at 21/10.
Recent head-to-head: A derby that favours the team playing at home
In recent years, picking up an away win in the Basque derby has been a seemingly impossible challenge with all five of the most recent clashes between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad being won by whichever side were at home. The last time the team playing away won this fixture was in 2020 when Real Sociedad triumphed at the Estadio de San Mames.
Players to watch: Can the Williams brothers breach a watertight defence?
Real Sociedad's return to form over the past month has been built on their rock-solid defensive unit. Sociedad have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four matches in all competitions with centre-back pairing, Nayef Aguerd and Igor Zubeldia playing a key role.
The pair were particularly brilliant against Barcelona just before the international break when they kept the deadly trio of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha at bay throughout the 90 minutes. If they can keep up their recent form, then they have every chance of keeping Bilbao out on Saturday.
The two most likely candidates to breach the Sociedad defence are Inaki and Nico Williams. The former has been Athletic's best player so far this season with three goals and four assists to his name in La Liga. The latter, meanwhile, is yet to show the type of form that made him hot property in the summer. A big game like this could be the perfect stage for him, though.
Predicted line-ups
Athletic Bilbao are in good shape ahead of this one with goalkeeper, Unai Simon fit again for the first time this season. Striker, Oigan Sancet, is also expected to be fit after missing their last match against Valladolid. Real Sociedad are missing their best player, Martin Zubimendi, in what is a huge blow to their chance.s
Athletic Bilbao: Simon – De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Boiro – Prados, Galarreta, I.Williams, Sancet, N.Williams – Guruzeta
Real Sociedad: Remiro – Aramburu, Zubeldia, Aguerd, Munoz – Kubo, Gomez, Mendez, Sucic, Becker – Oyarzabal
Anything else catch the eye?
This is unlikely to be a derby match enjoyed by the neutral with three of Real Sociedad's last five matches producing fewer than three goals and four of Athletic Bilbao's last five producing the same. Under 2.5 goals to be scored on Sunday has been priced at 8/15 by Betfred.
This La Liga match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad will be played on Nov 24, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
