Sevilla will host Athletic Bilbao at their Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in the 19th round of La Liga. The team from Basque arrives in Andalusia as the favorite, currently on a streak of 10 matches without a defeat. The match is scheduled for 19:15.
Sevilla: 3 Points to Escape the Lower Ranks!
The year 2023 ended poorly for Sevilla, despite winning another Europa League trophy, confirming their status as unrivaled rulers of the competition. However, as the new season began, nothing hinted that the year would end this way. In La Liga, they have been performing very poorly, and after being knocked out of Europe, urgent changes were needed. He promised to lead Sevilla, and it happened, albeit 12 years after that “pledge,” but better late than never. Having given his word, Kike Sanchez Flores took over the bench of the Andalusian team and led them to an away victory against provincial rival Granada in the 18th round of La Liga, securing a convincing 3:0 triumph!
The former head coach of Getafe (in three terms) thus took on an extremely demanding job, as the current Europa League holder was eliminated from the Champions League, won’t defend their trophy in the second most important UEFA competition, and had gone ten matches without a win in the Spanish league (until that victory in Granada). The last team Sevilla defeated for points was Almeria back on September 26. Almeria, who hadn’t beaten anyone and was the clear bottom team, but with the win over Granada, Sevilla at least temporarily escaped the danger zone.
In the match before his arrival, Sevilla was defeated at home by Flores’s former club, Getafe (0:3). In Spain, Kike Flores also worked at Valencia, Atletico (winning the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup), and Espanyol, gaining experience at the helms of Benfica, Watford, and Asian clubs Al Ain, Al Ahli (United Arab Emirates), and Shanghai (China). He had never been in Sevilla, even though he promised in 2011 that he would one day take the helm of the Andalusian giant.
His father, Isidro Sanchez, played in that city, but for another club, as he spent four years wearing the Betis jersey. Kike Flores himself had a soft spot for Sevilla, coming as a young coach to learn and observe training sessions, but later it never worked out for him to be free when they were choosing coaches at “Pizjuan,” nor did they turn to him when he was jobless. Now, they will unite.
At least until summer, possibly an additional year, if he manages to achieve certain goals, although no one mentions whether these are solely related to survival or perhaps another placement in Europe (16 points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad). One thing is certain, Sevilla must start moving forward, as they have stagnated or regressed since the start of the season with Jose Luis Mendilibar and later with Uruguayan Diego Alonso.
Athletic Bilbao: Excellent Performance This Season!
Valverde’s team visits Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan tonight and enters this match as favorites after a very long time. This should not be surprising, considering the form Bilbao has shown throughout the season. The Basques didn’t spend a single euro in the summer market, and the only significant player who left them is Inigo Martinez – whose departure to Barcelona was known since last year.
Valverde tested 36 players during the preseason, with seven of them in the center-back position. In attack, the most effective was Javi Marton – the only newcomer, from Real Sociedad B, who still doesn’t have a number, and it’s uncertain if he will stay in the team. Regardless of the trials, considering the limited budget and past activities, this year we are seeing a very similar Athletic to last year, at least in terms of the squad.
After six years, they almost played in Europe. If Osasuna had been penalized, they would have been the next candidate for the Conference League. However, they will have to focus on the domestic league, and of course, the King’s Cup, which is always the most important goal, and it seems that this season they have a huge opportunity to return to Europe, and why not to the Champions League?
After 18 rounds this season, the team from Basque is in 5th place in the table, only 3 points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid and fourth-placed Barcelona. Bilbao has so far recorded 10 victories, 5 draws, and 3 losses.
Their last defeat was recorded two and a half months ago, at the end of October, when they were beaten by Barcelona with a score of 1:0. Since then, they have recorded 7 victories and only 3 draws, resulting in such a high position in the table. The team’s top scorers are the unrivaled Inaki Williams and Guruzeta, who also has 8 goals to his name. Bilbao achieves much better results at home, currently being the third-best team in this aspect in the league, right behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Away, they are slightly worse, with only one victory, two losses, and two draws in their last five away games. The last time they triumphed in Sevilla was in 2021, with a score of 0:1.
Our Betting Suggestions
Sevilla has always been considered the favorite in such matches at their home stadium in recent years, but this time it’s not the case. The odds for a Sevilla win are 3.12, while a victory for the visitors is priced at 2.40 at the 22Bet bookmaker.
It seems we should expect a very interesting match, and we believe that Sevilla will not easily give up points to the visitors. Bilbao has only won once in La Liga away at Sevilla in the past 10 years, so we suggest the Double Chance 1X bet at odds of 1.60 at 22Bet.
For those chasing higher odds, we recommend the Sevilla Not to Lose and Total > 1.5 Goals bet at odds of 2.20, and for those who really like to take risks, we suggest a straight win for Sevilla at odds of 3.12 at 22Bet.
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