Athletic Bilbao will be looking to turn around the deficit
There will definitely be a team in the Copa del Rey final that not everyone would have expected before the season. Athletic Bilbao vs Osasuna prediction from bookmakers shows that bettors are leaning towards the Basques.
Athletic Bilbao thus go into the game as favourites, but it is not a normal match. That’s because the semi-final will be played in a first and second leg. The first match in Pamplona was won by Osasuna, then narrowly 1-0, so it’s all about finding a good balance for the hosts now.
Both teams prefer a compact approach and want to be well positioned defensively first. This also ensures that a spectacle is not necessarily to be expected. Due to the home advantage, our Athletic Bilbao vs. Osasuna tip is that the hosts will win the match.
Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form
Athletic Bilbao are playing a rock solid season with coach Ernesto Valverde. The Basques are in the top half of the league and have the chance to enter the international business. At the weekend, however, there was a somewhat disappointing 0-0 draw at home against Getafe, in which the team looked very lacklustre, especially offensively.
In general, Athletic has a lot of quality in the squad and the team, which consists only of players from the Basque Country or at least with clear links to it, has once again managed to bring in many young players. A place in the cup final is now the next big goal, but Athletic Bilbao lost the first leg 1-0 to Osasuna and also failed to score against the Pamplona side in a 0-0 league draw.
Valverde’s approach is for the Basques to be very compact and concede very little. They have conceded 28 goals in 27 league games so far, only eleven of which have come at home, which is a very good figure. In any case, the home side have a better record at home than away, but they have also lost five games already.
Athletic Bilbao not in brilliant form
Arguably the most important game of the season so far comes at a bad time, as the team has not performed particularly well in recent weeks. There have been too many average games from the Basques, only one win in seven competitive games. The team suffered four defeats during this period.
Worse still, Athletic failed to score a goal of their own in four of their last five games. Only against Real Valladolid in the only victory in this weak phase (3:1) did they manage to do so. For the coach, it will now be important to find the right words before the game and to motivate the team. Even one goal can be enough to stay in the competition after 90 minutes if the defence is good.
Home advantage can be enormously important, especially in a knockout match, which is why our prediction before the match between Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna is that the hosts will win.
Predicted line-up of Athletic Bilbao:
Unai Simon – de Marcos, Yeray, Vivian, Berchiche – Vesga, Vencedor, Sancet, Muniain, Nico Williams – Inaki Williams
Last matches played by Athletic Bilbao:
La Liga
01/04/2023 – Athletic Bilbao 0 – 0 Getafe
18/03/2023 – Real Valladolid 1 – 3 Athletic Bilbao
13/03/2023 – Athletic Bilbao 0 – 1 FC Barcelona
06/03/2023 – Rayo Vallecano 0 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Copa del Rey
02/03/2023 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Osasuna – Statistics & current form
Osasuna are playing a very exciting season. Coach Jagoba Arrasate’s side is the epitome of a disciplined team. The team, which has a very small squad, thrives on its rhythm and good order in defence. That’s why Osasuna’s games, like the 0-0 draw with Mallorca at the weekend, are often not much to look at.
In La Liga, however, this discipline and order is enough to keep them in the top half of the table. A place in the Copa del Rey final would only top the season so far. But things are not looking great for the visitors from Pamplona either. Since the win at home against Bilbao in the first leg, they have not won a game.
In concrete terms, this means that Osasuna are now without a win in four games in a row. However, such phases have been more frequent this season, never having significant, long-term effects on the team’s form. Now, however, the team has to be there on the dot.
Osasuna: Offensively with a need to catch up
Osasuna also like to play very disciplined and stand compact. In the league alone, there have already been ten games without conceding a goal. However, this is often only at the expense of the offensive. The visitors have scored 22 goals in 27 games in the league so far, but have only conceded 27. Hardly any team is weaker offensively.
On top of that, they lack a classic goal scorer. Chimy Avila has seven goals, making him by far the team’s top scorer. It will also be interesting to see how Osasuna deal with the away task. In the league, there have only been three wins away from home in 14 attempts, a record that is capable of improvement.
These statistics underline once again that no great fireworks are to be expected. Therefore, before the match between Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna, our value tip is that the hosts will not lose and that less than 2.5 goals will be scored.
Predicted line-up of Osasuna:
Herrera – Vidal, D. Garcia, U. Garcia, Sanchez – Torro, Moncayola, Brasanac, Oroz, Moi Gomez – Avila
Last matches played by Osasuna:
La Liga
01/04/2023 – Mallorca 0 – 0 Osasuna Pamplona
19/03/2023 – Osasuna Pamplona 0 – 3 FC Villarreal
12/03/2023 – Valencia 1 – 0 Osasuna Pamplona
07/03/2023 – Osasuna Pamplona 0 – 0 Celta Vigo
Copa del Rey
02/03/2023 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao – Osasuna Direct comparison / H2H-balance
In the direct comparison between the two teams, Athletic Bilbao have the lead and not by a small margin. The Basques have won 42 games, while Osasuna have only won 20. The first leg was won by the team from Pamplona, however, with a 0-0 draw in the league this season.
Athletic Bilbao – Osasuna betting tips
Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna are not entirely dissimilar in their style of play. However, the Basques are the slight favourites in this clash and are desperate to get into the final.
Osasuna, however, bring an advantage, which can still become important. Due to the omens and the away weakness of the guests, our tip before the match Athletic Bilbao vs Osasuna is that the hosts will win.
