MX23RW : Thursday, October 31 23:36:09| >> :120:22816:22816:
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Athletic Bilbao logo
La Liga | Gameweek 16
Dec 31, 2020 at 1pm UK
San Mames
Real Sociedad logo

Athletic Bilbao
0 - 1
Real Sociedad


Vencedor (23'), Berchiche (55'), Nunez (62'), Martinez (81'), Capa (84')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Portu (5')
Guevara (8'), Barrenetxea (21'), Merino (39'), Zubeldia (67')

Preview: Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Sociedad - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's La Liga clash between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Real Sociedad head into Thursday's fixture with Athletic Bilbao looking to end a six-match winless streak in La Liga.

Meanwhile, Athletic welcome the former leaders to the San Mames Stadium sitting in mid-table after recording just one victory over the same period.


Match preview

Real Sociedad head coach Imanol Alguacil pictured on November 5, 2020© Reuters

One of the main talking points during the early weeks of the season was whether Sociedad were capable of maintaining a title bid at a time when Real Madrid and Barcelona were struggling for consistency.

While the two giants of the division have gradually improved over time, Sociedad have lost all momentum at an alarming rate, picking up just three points from their last six matches.

Three successive defeats have been recorded against Barcelona, Levante and new frontrunners Atletico Madrid, leaving Txuri-urdinak six points adrift of the latter.

Months after receiving widespread credit, Imanol Alguacil now finds himself under pressure to oversee a change in fortunes over the coming weeks.

Sociedad have not managed to score a second-half goal in six league outings, a streak which must end sooner rather than later if they wish to stay in contention for a Champions League spot.

Athletic have spent much of their season competing at the wrong end of the table with only four points from two matches seeing them put some distance between themselves and the bottom three.

Like his counterpart in the dugout, Gaizka Garitano has been the target for criticism of late, and it has naturally led to speculation regarding his position.

With three home matches to come in succession, Garitano will hope that seeing off Huesca and claiming a draw at Villarreal represents the start of an improved 2021.

However, he requires much more from his attack with long-serving attacker Inaki Williams still topping the goalscoring charts with just three strikes.

Athletic Bilbao La Liga form: DLDLWD

Real Sociedad La Liga form: DDDLLL
Real Sociedad form (all competitions): DDDLLL


Team News

Athletic Bilbao head coach Gaizka Garitano pictured in March 2020© Reuters

Williams is expected to retain his place in the final third, despite the return of Asier Villalibre.

Alex Berenguer is likely to feature on the left flank for Athletic after overcoming a minor injury.

Sociedad boss Alguacil could hand a recall to Alexander Isak, potentially at the expense of Willian Jose.

Martin Merquelanz is also an option in the final third after dropping down to the substitutes' bench for the game against Atletico.

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; Capa, Alvarez, Martinez, Berchiche; Vencedor, Vesga; Marcos, Muniain, Berengeur; Williams

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Gorosabel, Elustondo, Normand, Monreal; Silva, Zubimendi, Merino; Porto, Isak, Oyarzabal


SM words green background

We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Real Sociedad

With neither side having produced their best form of late, we do not expect this fixture to live up to its potential. In what may be a nervy affair to end 2021, a low-scoring fixture between two well-matched sides could play out at the San Mames Stadium.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Sociedad win with a probability of 40.48%. A win for Athletic Bilbao had a probability of 31% and a draw had a probability of 28.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a Real Sociedad win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.1%) and 0-2 (7.84%). The likeliest Athletic Bilbao win was 1-0 (10.81%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.23%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 12.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Real Sociedad in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad

Athletic Bilbao
28.8%
Draw
25.9%
Real Sociedad
45.3%
170
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Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone pictured in November 2020
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona11100137102730
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Villarreal116322019121
4Atletico MadridAtletico11551167920
5Athletic Bilbao115331711618
6Real BetisBetis11533119218
7Mallorca11533108218
8Osasuna115331616018
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Sevilla114341215-315
11Celta Vigo114161720-313
12Real Sociedad11335810-212
13GironaGirona113351114-312
14Leganes11254912-311
15Getafe1117389-110
16AlavesAlaves113171319-610
17Espanyol113171019-910
18Las PalmasLas Palmas112361319-69
19Real ValladolidValladolid11227923-148
20Valencia11146817-97


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