Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao predictions, H2H and match preview for this Sunday’s game in La Liga. Read on for analysis and predicted line-ups as the Yellow Submarine aim to keep up their lively start to the campaign.
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao Preview
Two sides that will fancy they can at least push for Europa League qualification this season meet at the Ceramica on Sunday as Villarreal play host to Athletic Club. They’ve both impressed to a varying degree this term although they’ve found their success in very different ways with Villarreal scoring for fun while Athletic have been very strong defensively.
The Yellow Submarine have scored in every league game this season and average 2.27 goals per game, a figure which soars to 3.40 at home. They’ve scored 9 in their last 2 home games to demolish Real Betis and Alaves however they did suffer a midweek setback as they sank to a 2-1 defeat at Eibar. They could have few complaints either with the outcome although Javi Calleja would have been disappointed with his team’s inability to hold on for a point having equalised in the 88th minute only for Fabian Orellana to nod in a 95th minute winner for the hosts.
Athletic meanwhile had a much better week to end what was turning into a bad run of form. Having gone 5 without victory, they eased to a 3-0 home win over Espanyol with Iker Muniain the star of the show with two early goals. Only Atletico Madrid have conceded fewer goals than the Basque giants so far this season in La Liga and they will need all of their defensive attributes to keep Villarreal’s in-form forward players quiet here.
Gerard Moreno is now the division’s top scorer having netted 8 goals while Karl Toko Ekambi isn’t too far behind on 5. It’s a huge difference from last season when both men struggled following big money moves and overall Villarreal look a much better all-round side this term. Athletic’s team and style hasn’t really altered nor has the fact that they remain heavily reliant on their home form for points.
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions
Score Prediction: 2-1 Villarreal
Just 3 of Athletic’s 16 points this season have come away from home. They are unlikely to be blown away as has been the case with some recent visitors to the Ceramica but Villarreal are the team that boasts significantly more creative quality and they also have greater options to bring off the bench or rotate into the starting XI which could be significant at the end of a busy week. The hosts should have the edge here.
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao H2H
- Last 6 meetings: 2 Villarreal Wins, 2 Athletic Wins, 2 Draws.
- Athletic have won on 2 of their last 4 trips to the Ceramica in all competitions.
- Both teams have scored in 4 of the last 5 meetings.
- Villarreal took 4 points from the 2 meetings last term, winning 3-0 in Bilbao and drawing at home.
Read all our latest La Liga previews here.
Predicted Line Ups
Villarreal Team:
Asenjo – Quintila, Albiol, Torres, Mario – Anguissa, Iborra, Cazorla – Gomez, Moreno, Ekambi (4-2-3-1)
Athletic Team:
Simon – Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri – San Jose, Dani Garcia – Muniain, Raul Garcia, Cordoba – Williams (4-2-3-1)
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