Athletic Club vs Granada match preview and predictions for Sunday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the hosts return to San Mames following a dramatic cup win on Thursday night.
| Date | Sunday 7th March 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | San Mames |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Athletic Club vs Granada Preview
Athletic Club return from their latest cup success to resume their league campaign on Sunday against Granada. It’s pretty clear now that with two Copa del Rey Finals to come in April, Athletic’s season is going to be defined by their achievements in the cups rather than the league but Marcelino will be hoping that the motivation of places in his starting lineups in Seville will help avoid a downturn in their league form.
Alex Berenguer’s deflected long-range strike at Levante ensured Athletic won their Copa del Rey Semi-Final late on. They are on the cusp of a historic achievement but will be underdogs for one if not both of their Finals later in the season. They have four more league games before they take on Real Sociedad in the 2020 Final and to their credit, so far at least, their league form has remained pretty solid despite their cup success.
Barcelona are still the only team to have beaten Marcelino’s Athletic. The first of those two defeats against the Catalans was in the new coach’s first game at the helm and it’s one win and three draws since at San Mames. They may opt to rotate slightly here having been taken to Extra Time on Thursday but in truth they are a little short on options when it comes to quality replacements.
Granada will be hoping to take advantage. They know all about fatigue following on from Thursday night games given their long Europa League run this season. They’ve had a rare midweek off to prepare for this but a bit like Athletic, they are also now in a mid-table position in LaLiga which will enable them to focus on their cup exploits. They have little choice but to prioritise with an extensive injury list right now.
The Andalusians host Molde in their Europa League last 16 tie this coming week. They have a real chance to make the Quarter-Finals having landed a favourable draw and Diego Martinez may also look to rotate slightly where possible here, although the temptation may be to go strong in this game and field a host of back-up or even youth players when Real Sociedad visit Los Carmenes next weekend with that match sandwiched between the two legs of their European tie.
⏰ There's no time for rest…
? The Lions are already back in the office as they prepare for #AthleticGranada in @LaLigaEN (Sun. 21:00 CET)#AthleticClub ? pic.twitter.com/3F2glTlFSU
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) March 5, 2021
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Athletic Wins, 3 Granada Wins.
- Granada have won all of the last 3 meetings – all of which were played at Los Carmenes.
- They won the reverse fixture 2-0 earlier this term.
- Athletic have won 4 of the last 6 meetings at San Mames.
Team News
Inigo Martinez is suspended for Athletic. Otherwise they have no selection issues but may rotate after a long night in Valencia on Thursday.
Granada are missing the likes of Luis Suarez, Luis Milla and Quini to injury while a host of players have minor problems and could be missing including German Sanchez, Angel Montoro, Darwin Machis and Yangel Herrera.
Predicted Athletic Starting Lineup:
Simon – Balenziaga, Yeray, Nunez, Capa – Muniain, Vesga, Vencedor, Berenguer – Garcia, Williams (4-4-2)
Predicted Granada Starting Lineup:
Silva – Foulquier, Perez, Duarte, Diaz – Quina, Eteki – Kenedy, Vico, Puertas – Molina (4-2-3-1)
Athletic Club vs Granada Predictions
LaLiga Expert Predicts: Athletic Club 2-1 Granada (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)
The team selections here will be really interesting as both coaches will at least be considering making some changes and Granada have many injury problems. There ought to be some fatigue in the Athletic camp and for all they’ve achieved so far under Marcelino, they have surprisingly only won one match so far in Bilbao. However Granada’s selection issues are so extensive, you still have to favour the hosts to get the win.
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