Bilbao are favourites at home
Bilbao are looking to finally qualify for an international competition once again this season, as they have been running like clockwork since coach Marcelino was hired in the Basque country.
Against the relegation candidates from Andalusia, three points should be a clear thing in view of the recent superior performances. It seems unlikely that the eight-time Spanish champions will slip up. Accordingly, the betting odds on Athletic Bilbao vs. Cadiz are clearly distributed in favour of the home side.
But what can we expect from the underdogs? The last games of the third last in the table were marked by numerous failures. If they managed to get a point every now and then, that was already a surprise. To what extent they can annoy their upcoming opponents remains to be seen.
At the end of the day, we expect a fairly clear-cut affair, as there is little to say against a success for the hosts.
Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form
The “Red and Whites” have only suffered one defeat in the current league season. The fact that they even scored against Atletico Madrid or Barca shows how stable Marcelino Garcia’s team is playing at the moment.
So far, the Basques have made no mistakes against the league’s stragglers. Accordingly, we expect a bet on the favourite to be successful in Athletic Bilbao vs. However, the odds on this option are hardly worthwhile.
Unspectacular but efficient
The “Lions” have not scored many goals so far, but they still manage to win points regularly. Only once in the last seven league games did the attack around Inaki Williams score more than one goal.
But if you allow so little defensively, you can score much more sporadically up front, because the back line around national goalkeeper Simon is doing a great job. In five of 11 games, they kept a clean sheet at the back and conceded only one goal in another five games. We think that against the relegation candidates from Andalusia they could once again keep a clean sheet at the back.
Convincing at home
The last two home games were both in favour of the Basques. In addition, the last three league victories were all scored on home soil. The record at the “San Mames” was also impressive in the previous season, with “Los Leones” winning there more than twice as often as away.
By the way: In the last four direct duels with the upcoming opponents, only one team has ever scored. Therefore, a 1:0 or 2:0 result seems realistic to us. The bottom line is that there is no getting around a prediction on the hosts in Athletic Bilbao against Cadiz.
Predicted line-up of Athletic Bilbao:
Simon – de Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Lekue – Muniain, Garcia, Vencedor, Berenguer – Garcia, Williams
Last matches played by Athletic Bilbao:
LaLiga
10/31 2021 – San Sebastian 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
10/26 2021 – Espanyol 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
10/23 2021 – Athletic Bilbao 2 – 1 FC Villarreal
10/01 2021 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 0 Deportivo Alaves
09/25 2021 – Valencia 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
Cadiz – Statistics & current form
In the previous season, Cadiz as a league newcomer with the twelfth final place relatively confidently managed to stay in the league. However, it has already become clear that things could be a bit tighter this year, and so far the results have been anything but exhilarating.
Accordingly, it is not surprising that the bookmakers’ odds on Athletic Bilbao vs. Cadiz put the visitors in a clear underdog role. After all, the Andalusians have been waiting for a victory since mid-September.
Goals are scarce
Apart from the 3-3 draw against Villareal just over a week ago, which can confidently be described as a positive outlier, there is virtually nothing happening in attack. If you exclude the aforementioned game, just two goals have been scored in the last seven rounds, and in four of the last seven games nothing has been achieved up front.
Against the defensively strong Basques, it will be difficult to get anything worthwhile. The tactic can only be: Keep the back as tight as possible. Whether this will actually succeed, however, is more than questionable.
Away with many goals conceded
The last three away games have always seen at least two goals conceded, with a total of eight goals conceded in the same period. In the last seven games in Bilbao, however, they have only kept their own box clean once.
Since the last league win was eight matchdays ago, we think it is absolutely unrealistic to bet on Athletic Bilbao against Cadiz. In our opinion, there won’t be much to win in the Basque capital.
Predicted line-up of Cadiz:
Ledesma – Carcelen, Haroyan, Chust, Espino – Fali – Chapela, Jönsson, Fernandez, Lozano – Sobrino
Last matches played by Cadiz:
LaLiga
10/31 2021 – Cadiz 1 – 1 Mallorca
10/26 2021 – Villarreal FC 3 – 3 Cadiz
10/23 2021 – Cadiz 0 – 2 Deportivo Alaves
10/18 2021 – Espanyol 2 – 0 Cadiz
10/02 2021 – Cadiz 0 – 0 Valencia
Athletic Bilbao – Cadiz Direct comparison / H2H balance
These two teams have faced each other 30 times so far. With 15 victories, Bilbao have won exactly half of all games, while Cadiz have nine full victories. Four of the last six direct duels have been won by the Basque outfit.
Athletic Bilbao – Cadiz Tip
If you believe the bookmakers’ odds on Athletic Bilbao vs Cadiz, then the game is already a foregone conclusion. Especially because the visitors have been conceding goals on foreign soil lately, we have to agree with the bookmakers’ assessment, although a close match is in the offing, at least in terms of the result.
The home side are the masters of efficiency and will certainly not do more than necessary in the upcoming match. Accordingly, a 1:0 is a very realistic result. In our view, there is also a good chance of success with a bet on a home win at half-time and at the end of the match, because the hosts will certainly want to demonstrate their sovereignty.
