La Liga: The Basque World takes Centre Stage

Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad

With many of the leading La Liga clubs in Saudi Arabia on Spanish Super Cup duty this weekend, there probably won’t be a better match in the top flight than this Saturday teatime encounter.

Make no mistake, victory in the Basque derby always matters.

Whether in La Liga or the Copa del Rey, this is the clash which generates the most passion for anyone associated with football in this part of the world.

For football in the Basque country means everything and the Basque derby means bertso derbia: sport as song and song as sport – competitive, improvised street poetry: witty, incisive and theirs.

So, sit back (if you’re a neutral) and get ready for La Liga highlights in the 191^st edition.

Talking Points

The background of the fixture, a contest which I have covered before – New Year’s Eve 2020 to be precise – took me by surprise when I first learned of its history.

That’s because Athletic Club of Bilbao has an unwritten policy of only fielding players who were born in the Basque Country or who learned their football skills at a Basque club.

That’s right, you’ll never see the club splashing money on foreigners or players from different regions of Spain even if, in the modern game, it’s almost unbelievable to conceive the idea.

In a world where money talks and survival is paramount, it’s remarkable to see the club stick to this rule.

For most clubs this restrictive working structure would be deemed impossible. For Athletic Club; pride. Amazingly, the club remains one of only three founding members of the Primera Division who have never gone down.

No prizes for guessing the other two – Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Real Sociedad actually adopted a similar policy up until 1989 when they signed striker John Aldridge from Liverpool and that was that.

Back to 2024 and Bilbao are reportedly about to offer manager Ernesto Valverde a new contract.

The club seem well on their way to European qualification again for the first time since he left for Barcelona in 2017 and, with him out of contract at the end of the campaign, Athletic President Jose Urrutia is keen to secure his future.

They will also be keen to keep hold of their top playing talent with centre-back Aitor Paredes linked with moves to Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Chelsea in recent weeks.

Sociedad have already said farewell to one of their players since the turn of the year in promising French teenager Mohamed-Ali Cho.

After a tricky 18 months, he has headed back to Ligue 1 and joined Nice on a four-year deal, after the player expressed a desire to get more opportunities.

His time at Sociedad yielded 40 appearances, 10 starts and two goals.

History

Considering the sides have met on 190 previous occasions, it may come as a surprise to know these two clubs have never faced off in UEFA or other international competitions, nor in the Spanish Super Cup.

In the they shared previously, Bilbao have the edge with 78 wins, while Real Sociedad have won 62 times along with 50 draws.

Sociedad were emphatic 3-0 winners in October when Robin Le Normand, Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal, who has a decent record in this fixture with seven goals and one assist in 16 meetings, were the marksmen.

Last season, Bilbao and Sociedad split their two meetings, with the latter winning 3-1 in January and the former winning 2-0 in April.

Bilbao haven’t defeated Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium since a 2-0 success in March 2017. For the past seven years, La Real have won five and drawn twice at home against Los Leones.

Betting Tip

Fourth versus sixth, two places but six points separate them and that, presumably coupled with home advantage, gives Bilbao the edge with the SBOTOP La Liga betting odds.

The hosts are on offer 1X2 @ 2.02 and Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.31 with Sociedad priced 1X2 @ 3.50 and Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 2.16.

If there’s to be a repeat of the corresponding fixture last season, a 2-0 Bilbao success @ 8.80 means a nice pay day with Correct Score.

There hasn’t been a goalless draw between them since 2017 so bear that in mind when considering Total Goal 0-1 @ 2.86, 2-3 @ 1.89 and 4-6 @ 3.91.

Over 2.50 goals will pay out @ 2.20.

I think this will be close and I also think it will end with level-pegging which is why my ⭐⭐ prediction is 1X2 Draw @ 3.07.

 

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