Real Betis vs Athletic Club Predictions & Match Preview

Real Betis vs Athletic Club predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for expert analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two European hopefuls clash.

Real Betis vs Athletic Club Preview

Real Betis and Athletic face off in one of the standout fixtures this weekend in LaLiga. This could quite easily have been a dress rehearsal for the Copa del Rey Final but the Basque side were narrowly beaten in their Semi-Final 2nd Leg in Valencia and as such it will be Los Che who Betis face next month for the cup.

Despite advancing to the Final of that competition, these have been a challenging few weeks for Betis with their league and Europa League aspirations hit by setbacks. Defeats in 3 of their last 5 league outings have hit their Champions League hopes, particularly given they came up against Villarreal, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, all rivals for a top four finish this term.

It’s easy to blame fatigue, and that perhaps is a factor given their hectic fixture schedule. Manuel Pellegrini has rotated throughout the campaign to try to counter that but you wonder if he has made a rare mistake in terms of his persistent rotation in goal with Claudio Bravo having made some very costly errors in recent weeks. Perhaps the time has come for Pellegrini to just stick with Rui Silva who was again left out for the 2-1 Europa League defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek.

Athletic Club by contrast are now free of distractions and can focus on trying to finish as high as possible in LaLiga. They are certainly in the European picture and are just 2 points shy of 7th placed Villarreal heading into this matchday. Victory here would really push them into serious contention and they’d only be 3 points off Betis if they can leave the Benito Villamarin with a win.

That will still be a tough ask as this Betis side features at least a couple of potential match-winners but Athletic have one or two dangermen of their own with Iker Muniain their main creative threat in what has been one of his best ever seasons in LaLiga. Athletic are in decent form overall with 5 wins from their last 8 games in LaLiga but they do tend to draw more than they win or lose on the road, with 8 of their 14 away fixtures ending all square.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Betis Win, 3 Athletic Wins, 2 Draws.
• Athletic won the reverse fixture 3-2 earlier this term in Bilbao.
• They’ve only on 1 of their last 5 trips to the Benito Villamarin.
• That was a 3-2 loss in 2019 when Joaquin scored a quick-fire hat-trick.

Team News

Latest LaLiga Injuries & Suspensions

Possible Lineups

Real Betis vs Athletic Club Predictions

Score Prediction: Real Betis 1-1 Athletic Club

A draw feels like the obvious prediction here. Betis aren’t quite at their best right now so you wouldn’t back them to take firm control of this game like they have at times this season. Athletic rarely gamble though on the road and with over half of their away games this term ending all square, a repeat could well be on the cards here.

PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips. No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.