Will the Lions get their claws out in the home game?
After picking up just one point from their last two games, it’s time for the “Leones” (Spanish: Lions) to score three points again to keep up with fourth place in the battle for the European places. The odds speak for themselves in Friday’s match between Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca. The hosts are clear favorites in the clash between the two Copa del Rey semi-finalists and will be looking to keep all three points in the Basque Country with their own fans behind them
While coach Ernesto Valverde’s team are still in the draw for the Champions League places, RCD Mallorca are at the other end of the table. Just four points separate the fifteenth-placed LaLiga side from a direct relegation place. The only three wins of the season for the men from the Balearic island have come against teams from the bottom half of the table
The spectre of relegation is still haunting Mallorca. This is not an unfamiliar situation for the fans of the “Bermellones”. They have spent the last ten years in three different leagues and have witnessed several relegations. The situation is completely different for the opponents. The Basques are the only team apart from Real and Barcelona to have never been relegated to the second tier since LaLiga was founded. The hosts will be motivated by the prospect of competing in the European competition and so a home win is a good bet for Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca.
Athletic Bilbao – Statistics & current form
Under Ernesto Valverde, the Lions have finally transformed themselves back into a top club that can compete with the top teams from Madrid and Barcelona. The best example of this is the Copa quarter-final match against the Catalans last Wednesday. The defense of the proud “Blaugrana” was torn apart in impressive style. 3.96 to 1.48 xGoals speaks for itself. Only the lack of chances allowed the visitors to save themselves in extra time. However, the two Williams brothers then made short work of the beleaguered Catalans.
Inaki and Nico Williams symbolize the Basque way of the club and are the heart of the team. Both come from the club’s own academy and, like all the other players, are Basque. With eleven and nine scoring points respectively, they provide the Lions’ attacking highlights. Another player also stands out in attack. Gorka Guruzeta tops the internal scoring charts and is a guarantor of goals, especially in home games. He scored seven of his eight goals in San Mames. In Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca, the odds suggest that a bet on the striker scoring a goal looks promising
Aupa Athletic
The dream of the top flight is big, but not completely unrealistic. For the first time in a long time, the Basques have managed to keep up with the LaLiga giants this season. With 42 points from 22 games, they are in fifth place in the table and still within striking distance of fourth place. However, the last two league games have been setbacks. After four wins in a row, Ernesto Valverde’s team only picked up one point from their last two games against Cadiz and Valencia.
It is therefore high time for a turnaround if the Champions League anthem is to be played in San Mames next season. This is to be achieved with the help of the strong attack described above, which ensures that the Lions score more than 3.5 goals on average in home games. That’s why the prediction of more than 2.5 goals seems realistic for Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca.
Predicted Athletic Bilbao lineup:
Mallorca – Statistics & current form
The Mallorcans are at least not directly threatened by relegation at the moment, as they are four points ahead of 18th-placed Cadiz. But they cannot rely on that too much. The team from the Balearic island is the epitome of an elevator team. After several years in the first division, they returned to the second division in 2013/14. There, the team then baked much smaller rolls and after four years in the relegation battle, RCD was even relegated to the two-tier “Primera Federacion” in 2017. Three promotions and an interim relegation later, they have been back in LaLiga since last season and want to stay there.
After a number of stints in South America, the United Arab Emirates and as national team coach of Egypt, Japan and Mexico, Mexican coaching legend Javier Aguirre has been coach of the “Bermellones” since March 2022. The team plays a defensive style of soccer that can be described as having little possession. At the moment, this style of play is saving the Mallorcans from the worst relegation worries, but that is more down to the inability of the other teams in the basement than their own strength. Aguirre’s team have just three wins this season and less than a point per game
Weak away record
The weak away record this season also explains the clear betting odds for Athletic Bilbao vs. The “Bermellones” have only picked up four points from their last nine games away from home. In the current season, there has only been one away win to celebrate.
However, the team has at least impressed in the Copa del Rey. The team beat the surprise team from Girona 3:2 in the quarter-finals to reach the semi-finals of the cup, just like their opponents in the upcoming match. However, according to all predictions, it will hardly be enough for the visitors to win a point against the home-strong Basques in the match between Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca.
Predicted Mallorca line-up:
Athletic Bilbao – Mallorca head-to-head comparison / H2H result
The Lions have won 16 of 39 head-to-head meetings. That is a positive result, as the visitors only won 12 of the eleven draws. The average number of goals scored in this duel is 2.41 and therefore leaves room for betting on more than 2.5 goals in Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca
Athletic Bilbao – Mallorca betting tip
The Basques will be looking to finally pick up three points at home after two league games without a win in order to stay in contention for the Champions League places. Javier Aguirre’s team will naturally want to counter this, but it is likely to be an extremely difficult task for the visitors
The Lions’ offense around the Williams brothers and Gorka Guruzeta is in outstanding form and will be able to trouble the Mallorcan defense time and time again. A home win is therefore the most likely outcome of the game
