Two teams in good form will lock horns for an intriguing battle in Spain's top flight on Sunday evening, with Athletic Bilbao welcoming Real Betis to San Mames.
Both sides have collected 18 points from their opening 11 matches of the 2024-25 campaign, with Athletic sitting fifth in the La Liga table, while Real Betis are sixth ahead of the next set of fixtures.
Match preview
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Athletic boast a record of five wins, three draws and three defeats from their 11 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 18 points leaving them fifth in the table, just three points behind third-placed Villarreal.
Ernesto Valverde's side will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this match, including a 0-0 draw with Mallorca in the league last time out, while they have only lost once in all competitions since the end of August.
The Lions are competing in the Europa League this season, and they have made an encouraging start, picking up seven points from their three matches to sit in eighth position in the table.
Athletic's only home loss of the season came against Atletico Madrid at the end of August, and they have won each of their last three games in front of their own fans, including a 4-1 success over Espanyol in the league on October 19.
The Basque outfit beat Real Betis 4-2 in the corresponding match between the two sides last season, but the Seville outfit ran out 3-1 winners when the pair last locked horns in February of this year.
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Real Betis are also playing in Europe this season, with the team competing in the Conference League, picking up one point from their opening two matches to sit down in 27th spot in the table.
The Green and Whites are currently active in three separate competitions, including the Copa del Rey, progressing to the second round of the tournament on Thursday night courtesy of a 6-1 victory over Gevora.
Manuel Pellegrini's side beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in La Liga last weekend, meanwhile, with an own goal from Jose Gimenez in the fourth minute of the contest proving to be the difference between the two sides.
Real Betis have the same record as Athletic this term, winning five, drawing three and losing three of their 11 matches; they have only scored 11 times to Athletic's 17 but boast a stronger defensive record, conceding just nine times to the Basque team's 11.
There has not been much to choose between the teams this season, but the fact that Athletic have had longer to prepare for this match could hand them an advantage in Sunday's intriguing battle at San Mames.
Team News
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Athletic will once again be without the services of their number one goalkeeper Unai Simon, but the Basque outfit are otherwise in excellent shape, with no injuries reported ahead of this match.
Head coach Valverde could name the same side that took to the field against Mallorca last time out, with Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams and Gorka Guruzeta set to feature in the froward areas.
However, there may be a change in the middle of the defence, with Dani Vivian potentially earning a recall.
As for Real Betis, Aitor Ruibal, Hector Bellerin, Giovani Lo Celso, Marc Roca, William Carvalho and Isco are unavailable for selection due to fitness problems.
Due to the nature of the performance and the result, head coach Pellegrini is expected to name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Atletico in the league last time out.
Cedric Bakambu was among the scorers in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, but he is likely to be back on the bench for this contest, with Vitor Roque expected to be joined by Ezequiel Avila in the final third of the field.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Agirrezabala; Gorosabel, Yeray, Vivian, Yuri; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; I Williams, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Ruibal, Bartra, Llorente, Perraud; Fornals, Cardoso, Altimira, Ezzalzouli; Avila, Roque
We say: Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Real Betis
This is a tough match to call, with both sides in strong form; Athletic will be the fresher of the two teams, though, and home advantage should also be key on Sunday, so we are expecting the Lions to shade a close contest at San Mames.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
