Athletic Bilbao are set to take on Espanyol on Saturday, 19 October as La Liga returns following the October international break.
The hosts will be relatively pleased with how they have started the season but two disappointing results before the break have perhaps dampened their spirits.
Espanyol, meanwhile, are also doing okay given that they are a newly promoted side. They are currently in 14th position, four points clear of the relegation zone.
How the bookies view it: The hosts go in as favourites
Athletic Bilbao will be hoping that this is a good opportunity to get themselves back on track and the bookies believe that they will do exactly that. A win for the hosts has been priced at 4/9 by Betfred while a victory for Espanyol has been priced at 13/2. The draw, which would be a disappointing result for Athletic Bilbao, has been priced at 7/2.
Recent head-to-head: Advantage Athletic Club
Recent fixtures between these two sides have frequently gone the way of Athletic Bilbao with the Basque side winning three of the last four H2Hs. Espanyol's last victory over Athletic Bilbao was in September 2022 in a match also played at Estadio de San Mames. That win should give them confidence ahead of their visit to the stadium this weekend.
Players to watch: Two key men to be forced to come off the bench?
The two most important players to both clubs are both currently in a race to be fit for this one with Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams and Espanyol's Javi Puado both doubts.
While both men may not start the match, they should both at least make their respective substitutes benches which means we could get a scenario where the match is decided late on when both men take to the field.
Williams was missing for Spain over the international break due to a muscular problem but his importance to his club his clear. He recorded a ridiculous 18 assists across all competitions last season is by far and way their most creative player.
Javi Puado's impact on Espanyol is more centred around his goalscoring. His 16 league goals last season were a big reason for their promotion and he has already netted a hat-trick in La Liga this campaign.
Predicted line-ups
In addition to the two aforementioned players, both teams are missing other players for this one. Athletic Bilbao will be without Alex Padilla, Yeray Alvarez and Unai Simon due to injury and Aitor Paredes due to suspension. Meanwhile, Espanyol are missing Edu Exposito and Leandro Cabrera.
Athletic Bilbao: Agirrezabala – De Marcos, Lekue, Vivian, Boiro – Gomez, Galarreta, Herrera – I.Williams, Guruzeta, Berenguer
Espanyol: Garcia – El Hilali, Gomez, Kumbulla, Romero – Lozano, Gragera – Carreras, Kral, Cardona – Veliz
Anything else catch the eye?
Athletic Bilbao haven't been involved in too many high-scoring games this season with just two of their last six matches producing more than two goals. Espanyol are a little more expansive but with their key man a doubt, a low-scoring affair feels likely. Under 2.5 goals to be scored has been priced at 4/5 by Betfred.
This La Liga match between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol will be played on Oct 19, 2024 and kick off at 13:00. Check below for our tipsters best Athletic Bilbao vs Espanyol prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
