19.10.2024 | 
Athletic Bilbao is the best team in Spain that no one really talks about. They are trying to keep up the pace with the best ones and see this game as a real opportunity to add another three points. Espanyol is one of the worst away teams in the league and it will be a real sensation if they stay unbeaten in this one.
Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol meet on 19.10.2024, in a clash between two teams with different ambitions. The game takes place at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao on Saturday.
| Athletic Bilbao | Saturday, 19.10.2024, 15:00 | Espanyol |
| 1 | x | 2 |
| 1,49 | 4,00 | 8,45 |
Athletic Bilbao – Espanyol: Initial situation
Both teams are playing according to their plan and can be satisfied with their current position. Still, everything can change in a blink of an eye, so both teams are ready for a fight in the early game on Saturday.
Athletic Bilbao Stats & Form
Athletic Bilbao is sixth in La Liga with 14 points after 9 games. The current standings is something they can be satisfied with but winning only 4 of 9 games looks like a problem. However, Ernesto Valverde knows what he is doing and there is no doubt that his team is capable of beating anybody in the league. Athletic Bilbao is coming off a 2-1 loss to Girona, which was their first in the last seven games in all competitions. Athletic Bilbao has not lost back-to-back competitive games in over a year and will probably not do so this time around. Oihan Sancet has stepped up under the spotlight this season for Bilbao with 4 goals so far.
Espanyol Stats & Form
Espanyol had an unfortunate ending of last season which saw them fall out to the second tier. They managed to keep the majority of the roster and returned to la Liga through the playoffs after finishing in fourth place in Segunda. Manolo González took over the team after leading Espanyol’s B team and he knows how to get the best out of this roster. Espanyol is currently 14th in the standings with 3 wins in 9 games. They are pretty bad on the road scoring only one goal in four away games. Javi Puado and Jofre are the key players on the team who combine for five goals so far in the season.
Athletic Bilbao – Espanyol: Head to Head
Athletic Bilbao has won 4 of the last 10 head-to-head games, Espanyol won 3 and 3 games finished in a tie. The both meetings in the 2022-23 season were won by the visiting team. Four of the last six games between these two teams finished under 2.5 goals and in four of those both teams scored at least one goal.
Athletic Bilbao – Espanyol: Odds
Athletic Bilbao is a big favorite going into this game with 1,49 odds for their win. Espanyol is the underdog with 8,45 in their favor while the draw is set at 4,00. The total goal line is set at 2.5 with 1,96 for over and 1,90 for under.
Top 3 Betting Odds
| Athletic Bilbao – Espanyol Betting Tip | Odds |
| Athletic Bilbao -1,5 | 2,47 |
| Athletic Bilbao to win and over 2,5 goals | 2,41 |
| Correct score: 3-0 | 10,00 |
Betting tip and prediction: Athletic Bilbao – Espanyol (19.10.2024)
Both teams have started the season according to expectations. Athletic Bilbao is one step behind the top teams in La Liga, which deserves all the respect since they still stick to the internal rule only to sign players who have some connections with Basque. As usual, Athletic is very confident when playing at home and lost only one of five games at their stadium. Athletic has a challenging season as they have high expectations in the Europa League as well. They won a point in their visit to Roma and defeated AZ Alkmaar in the next one. Still, their party was interrupted in the last La Liga game, when they lost 2-1 in Girona. On the other hand, Espanyol can also be happy with their first couple of months of the season. They returned to the top league in Spain and do not plan to go anywhere. Having three wins at this point of the season gives them security, and they can target winning a point with a defensive strategy in games like this. Espanyol has scored 9 goals in 9 games this season, and three of those came from Javi Puado, who is not available for the game in Bilbao due to a knee injury, which will sideline him indefinitely. That is a real headache for head coach Manolo González, who will have no other option but to try to slow down the pace of this game. That can be suicidal tactics since Athletic Bilbao loves to have the ball in their possession, especially when playing at home. Whoever is at Estadio San Mamés, “The Lions” are ready to attack, and that will be the case in this game as well. Athletic Bilbao will take over control of the game from the kick-off and will win at the end by covering the -1,5-goal handicap.