Will the Andalusians continue their run in the Basque Country?
Betis Sevilla have won ten of their first 17 league games and sit third in the current La Liga table. This makes the Andalusians one of the surprise teams in the highest Spanish division. Now the Verdiblancos are playing an opponent for whom things have not gone too well lately. The Basques have failed to win eleven of their last 13 league games.
Lately, the Leones have gone winless in their last eight league games in a row, and were just beaten 1-0 at home by Sevilla FC on Saturday. It was the third consecutive match in which the Basques failed to score a goal of their own. It is therefore all the more remarkable that the odds on Athletic Bilbao against Betis Sevilla are swinging in the direction of the hosts.
However, the balance is in favour of the Leones. Athletic Bilbao have won all of their last six home games against Betis Sevilla. Most recently, the Basques celebrated four home wins in a row at San Mamés against the Andalusians, who are now travelling with much more tailwind than in recent years.
We therefore see a lot of value in Athletic Bilbao vs Betis Sevilla in the double chance betting X2.
Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form
Athletic Bilbao have been in the top flight since the foundation of the Spanish top flight in 1928 and have won the national championship eight times since then. The last time the proud Basques won the title was in 1984.
In the last decade, however, the Leones have continued to attract attention. In 2020, they won the Supercopa de Espana, a mini-tournament. In 2012, they also reached the final of the Europa League.
The second best defence in La Liga
This season, however, things are not going too well for Marcelino’s team. The Leones have been waiting for eight league games for another win, and with only four victories from the first 17 games, they occupy eleventh place in the dismal midfield of La Liga.
Most recently, they have failed to win eleven of their last 13 league games, although at least the Basques’ defence is extremely tenacious. The only twelve goals conceded can only be undercut by Sevilla FC (eleven goals conceded). Against this background, it also makes sense to include a bet on a low-scoring game on the ticket.
Only 13 goals from the 17 league games so far
By the way, the fact that it was only enough for four victories despite a very stable defence can be attributed to the lacklustre offensive. The Leones scored only 13 goals in 17 league games.
Not a single player in the Basque camp has scored more than three goals. Most recently, Athletic Bilbao even failed to score in three consecutive league games. In total, only two goals have been scored in the last six games. This is another reason why the task against the in-form Andalusians will be very difficult.
Predicted line-up of Athletic Bilbao:
Simón – Balenziaga – Martínez – Álvarez – Lekue – Muniain – D. García – Vencedor – N. Williams – I. Williaks – R. García
Last matches played by Athletic Bilbao:
LaLiga
12/11 2021 – Athletic Bilbao 0 – 1 Sevilla
12/06 2021 – Getafe 0 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
12/01 2021 – Real Madrid 1 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
11/26 2021 – Athletic Bilbao 2 – 2 Granada
11/19 2021 – Levante 0 – 0 Athletic Bilbao
Betis Sevilla – Statistics & current form
Real Betis Balompié once won the first and only national championship in Spain in 1935, before adding two Copa del Rey overall victories in 1977 and 2005.
Nevertheless, the Andalusians are also among the perennial favourites in La Liga. The Verdiblancos occupy tenth place in the eternal table of the highest Spanish division, from which they were last relegated twice in 2009 and 2014.
Ten wins in the first 17 league games
Currently, however, they are clearly looking upwards under the Chilean success coach Manuel Pellegrini. Last season, the Andalusians qualified for the Europa League in sixth place in the final table, where they finished behind Bayer Leverkusen in Group G to reach the intermediate round.
Meanwhile, the Verdiblancos are on the verge of reaching the Champions League for the first time since their participation in the 2005/06 group stage. Having won ten of their 17 league games so far, Real Betis are currently third in the table behind Real Madrid and city rivals Sevilla FC.
Lost all last six matches at San Mamés
All the more surprising that the Andalusian club come to San Mamés as underdogs.
This can be explained by the defensive strength of the Basques and the fact that the Verdiblancos have lost all of their last six games in Bilbao and have failed to score four times in a row. Nevertheless, the Pellegrini team, which has the second-best attack in La Liga with 30 goals, should not be underestimated.
Predicted line-up of Betis Sevilla:
Silva – Moreno – Ruiz – Bartra – Bellerín – Guardado – Rodríguez – Juanmi – Fekir – Canales – José
Last matches played by Betis Sevilla:
Copa del Rey
12/16 2021 – CF Talavera de la Reina 2 – 4 Real Betis
LaLiga
12/12 2021 – Real Betis 4 – 0 San Sebastian
Europa League Grp. G
12/09 2021 – Celtic Glasgow 3 – 2 Real Betis
LaLiga
12/04 2021 – Barcelona 0 – 1 Real Betis
Copa del Rey
12/01 2021 – Alicante 0 – 4 Real Betis
Athletic Bilbao – Betis Sevilla Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 52 – 36 – 37
There have been a total of 125 meetings between the two teams so far and the Basques lead the direct comparison with 52 victories. Also most recently, eleven of the last 15 competitive matches have gone to Bilbao (two draws, two defeats).
Athletic Bilbao – Betis Sevilla Tip
When it comes to Athletic Bilbao against Betis Sevilla, the prediction still has to take into account the current momentum. And while the Basques have been waiting for another win for eight league games, the Andalusians have recently won four in a row in the league, with which they consolidated third place in the table. Accordingly, there is a lot of value to be found in betting on the Leones to win a point.
While the Basques have the second-best defence in La Liga, they now have to defend against the second-best offence, which makes the task very difficult for the home side. We do not expect a goal festival. Nevertheless, we think it is very likely that the Verdiblancos will win a point.
Accordingly, we recommend the combined bet X2 & U3.5, for which betting odds of 2.27 are available on Athletic Bilbao against Betis Sevilla.
