Leganes vs Athletic Bilbao Match Preview & Prediction

Leganes vs Athletic Bilbao predictions, H2H and match preview for this Wednesday’s game in La Liga. Read on for analysis and predicted line-ups as the hosts target their first victory of the new season.

Leganes vs Athletic Bilbao Preview

Athletic Club ended match-day 5 on top of La Liga, the first time they’ve led the league at such an advanced stage since the 1990’s. Of course, this is still very early days but with few sides convincing so far, they could just be darkhorses for a top four push under Gaizka Garitano. It already feels like survival may well be the only objective for Leganes who have been very slow to get off and running but they did pick up their first point of the new campaign at the weekend.

A solid performance and 1-1 draw at the Mestalla will certainly be a morale boost to Mauricio Pellegrino’s men who lost their opening four fixtures. Most concerning of all, three of those games were at home where they are usually so strong. Leganes will need to turn Butarque into something of a fortress again if they are going to haul themselves out of their current position but they were slow to get going last term and did ultimately beat the drop with considerable ease to secure their highest ever league finish.

Athletic head into this game after yet another home win as they saw off Basque rivals Alaves. They remain unbeaten at San Mames in La Liga under Gaizka Garitano but their away record is far less convincing. They’ve only taken 5 points from their last 7 away matches in La Liga although 3 of them did come on this ground against Leganes last season, their only road win in six months.

Both sides may consider rotating a bit for this midweek game but we’re unlikely to see wholesale changes from either coach. Leganes will want to use their weekend draw as a platform from which to build so we should see a fair bit of continuity. Athletic meanwhile are a bit short in terms of quality cover in several positions although they may hand Aritz Aduriz a start in attack which would see Inaki Williams feature out wide.

Leganes vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions

Score Prediction: 0-0 Draw

It’s very hard to see many goals in this game. Both coaches are relatively cautious in their respective approaches and all the previous league meetings between the clubs at Butarque have produced either 0-0 or 1-0 scorelines. There’s always the chance that somebody might produce a moment of magic but a tight game of few chances looks likely and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if it ended in stalemate.

Leganes vs Athletic Bilbao H2H

• Last 6 competitive meetings: 3 Athletic Wins, 1 Leganes Win, 2 Draws.
• Athletic Club have won each of the last 3 meetings.
• They were 1-0 winners at Butarque in April.
• The 3 league meetings between the sides in South Madrid have produced a total of just 2 goals.

Next up in La Liga: Valencia vs Getafe prediction & preview

Predicted Line Ups

Leganes Team:

Soriano – Silva, Bustinza, Omeruo, Siovas, Rosales – Recio, Perez, Rodriguez – En-Nesyri, Carrillo (5-3-2)

Athletic Club Team:

Simon – Berchiche, Martinez, Yeray, Capa – Lopez, Garcia – Cordoba, Garcia, Williams – Aduriz (4-2-3-1)