Sevilla FC vs Atletico Bilbao
15th plays fifth when Quique’s Sevilla take on Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Bilbao at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Thursday.
And my guess is that this La Liga contest will be an enjoyable time for the boys from the Basque, who are riding high and were in great form moving into the Christmas break.
They signed off for the festive period with a 1-0 win at home to Las Palmas to make it back-to-back league wins, while Sevilla lost away to Atletico Madrid by the same scoreline.
The Ramon Sanchez can be an intimidating place to visit. But the hosts need to get their act together to give their fans something to cheer about, and their visitors will do all they can to catch them early to keep the crowd quiet.
Talking Points
Sevilla hoping for positive change in 2024
There has been a fair amount of turmoil in Seville, despite the club winning yet another Europa League title last summer.
Jose Luis Mendilibar was head coach when Sevilla beat Roma to win a record seventh Europa League. But he has long gone, replaced by Diego Alonso, who has also been sacked to be replaced by the current incumbent, former Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores.
Changing the head coach is yet to have the desired effect, so the club has moved upstairs and removed club president Jose Castro after 10 years in charge, and he has been replaced by the vice president, Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco.
On the pitch, there has not been a huge amount of progress or change, and star striker Youssef En-Nesyri is still the man who can make a difference.
He is top scoring with five goals, but he’s out for this game having set off for the African Cup of Nations with Morocco, and that will leave Rafa Mir as the man up front with support from Suso and Lucas Ocampos.
This is a squad with plenty of talent and experience in it with Croatian midfield ace Ivan Rakitic in front of legendary centre-back Sergio Ramos.
However, the hard reality is that they are at the wrong end of the table and just three points above the drop zone, so Sevilla will need to produce quality La Liga 2024 results as soon as possible.
Inaki Williams out for Bilbao
Valverde’s men had to be patient in their clash with Las Palmas as they dominated possession and the shot count, but they had to wait until the 94th minute to break down their visitors when a goal from midfield playmaker Unai Gomez grabbed a dramatic win.
And just as Sevilla are missing their top scorer, so are Bilbao who will wave goodbye to Ghana striker Inaki Williams, who has weighed in with an impressive eight league goals so far.
Athletic tried to do a deal with the Ghanian Football Federation, but their pleas fell on deaf ears, and so Williams has joined his international teammates and will watch his club mates from afar.
The latest La Liga 2024 betting odds back a Bilbao win, but the visitors are not odds on, and the absence of the older Williams brother could make their task more difficult.
But Valverde’s team does have plenty of creative muscle. Williams’ younger brother Nico is fit and ready to play, and his pace and trickery on the wings will cause Sevilla plenty of problems.
He’s already made four assists this season, and he scored the second in a recent home win against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid when striker Gorka Guruzeta scored his seventh goal of the campaign.
History
Los Sevillistas have enjoyed the better of the head-to-headsover the past 61 encounters, winning 29 to Bilbao’s 18, while there have been 14 draws. And last year, this fixture ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
In terms of recent form, Sevilla are struggling with two wins and four defeats of the last six, while Athletic Bilbao have won four, drawn two, and are unbeaten in 10 games.
Add to that the fact that Sevilla have struggled at home this season with two wins, four draws, and three defeats, and I can see some more Bilbao success.
Betting Tip
Sevilla are at SBOTOP odds of 2.88 to win with the draw is 3.04. But all is not well at the proud club, and the upheaval at board and managerial level has been an unwelcome distraction on the pitch.
In contrast, Athletic Bilbao have been going about their business impressively, and I’m backing the boys from the Basque to do their thing on Thursday.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
