Alaves vs Athletic Bilbao predictions, H2H and match preview for this Monday’s game in La Liga. Read on for analysis and predicted line-ups for this Basque derby in Vitoria.
DATE/TIME – Monday 17th December 2018, 21:00 (Spanish Time)
STADIUM – Mendizorrotza
COMPETITION – La Liga
#AlavesAthletic
This Monday’s game in La Liga is a tasty Basque derby with Alaves targeting a third straight top flight home win against their illustrious neighbours. It is certainly Alaves who are having much the better overall season but Athletic do finally have something from which to build after they beat Girona with a Stoppage Time penalty last time out to the great relief of San Mames.
That was Gaizka Garitano’s first league game in charge and there was a noticeable improvement in Athletic and they were good value for their win, even though it came late in the day. A first league goal of the season for Aritz Aduriz would have been a relief to him but at the age of 37 he is only likely to be a temporary solution and a move for Fernando Llorente in January is still looking like something of a necessity with few other Basque attacking options around.
As for Alaves, they’ve hit a bit of a rough patch after a stunning start to the season. It’s just 1 point from 3 matches for Abelardo’s men heading into this match but it was inevitable that at some point they would have a poorer run of results. They weren’t as bad as a 3-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid last weekend sounds and we are unlikely to see many changes from them here with Alaves naming pretty consistent starting elevens this term.
It promises to be a lively clash with a decent derby tempo and it should be one of the better Monday night offerings, at least from an atmosphere point of view. These sides have played some heated Basque derbies in the past and with the stakes high as Athletic start to wise up to the reality of a possible relegation battle, this should be another one.
Alaves vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions
Score Prediction: 1-1 Draw
This is a really tough one to call and a point apiece may be the best either team is going to get. A few weeks back, you’d have strongly fancied Alaves with home advantage but Athletic do seem to have got a bit of a bounce from the change in coach and they should be able to take a point back to Bilbao with Alaves no longer nicking the tight games as was the case earlier in the season.
Alaves vs Athletic Bilbao H2H
- Last 6 meetings: 2 Alaves Wins, 2 Draws, 2 Defeats.
- These sides last met in May with Alaves winning 3-1 in Vitoria.
- Alaves have won their two home Basque derbies vs Athletic since returning to the top flight.
- Athletic’s last competitive win on this ground was a 4-2 success in May 2003.
One to Watch – Jony
[#LaLiga??] ALAVES 1-1 SÉVILLE
⏱ FIN DU MATCH !
⚽️ Jony
⚽️ Ben YedderSéville laisse filer deux points et voit le Barça reprendre les commandes de la Liga.#ALASEV pic.twitter.com/GbbmNmAB6H
— Footballogue⭐️⭐️ (@Footballogue) December 2, 2018
Jony is having a fine season for Alaves, chipping in with both goals and assists to fire his side into the top six.
Keep tabs on all our La Liga predictions and match previews.
Predicted Line Ups
Alaves Team:
Pacheco – Aguirregabiria, Navarro, Laguardia, Duarte – Garcia, Pina, Wakaso – Gomez, Calleri, Jony (4-3-3)
Athletic Team:
Herrerin – Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Yuri – Garcia, Extebarria – Williams, Garcia, Muniain – Aduriz (4-2-3-1)
Be the first to comment