Sevilla will bid to turn their domestic form around when they travel to the Basque region to face an underperforming Athletic Bilbao side on Saturday.
Julen Lopetegui’s men made a strong start to the new season, beating Cadiz and Levante before battling to a 1-1 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Yet they followed it up with a surprise 1-0 defeat to local rivals Granada and then lost 1-0 to lowly Eibar last time out.
A Golden Opportunity
However, there are mitigating factors. Sevilla had Joan Jordan sent off in the first half against Granada, and eventually conceded a late goal. They then had 72% of possession and 21 shots on goal against Eibar, but failed to score, while Eibar found the back of the net with their only shot on target.
Sevilla now have a great opportunity to climb up the table when they travel to Bilbao. They returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Rennes in the Champions League on Tuesday, which should give them confidence.
They have beaten Bayer Leverkusen, Wolves, Man Utd and Inter Milan in recent months. They also drew 0-0 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a couple of weeks ago, so a trip to San Mamés should not prove particularly daunting.
A Struggling Team
Ahletic Bilbao have made a sluggish start to the new season. Their policy of signing only Basque players meant that they could not bolster their squad in the summer.
They have now lost four of their opening six matches – including a dismal 1-0 away defeat at Osasuna last time out – and they appear to be lacking in confidence right now.
Sevilla have been boosted by the return of key defender Jules Koundé from injury. Jordan’s absence has been keenly felt, but Lucas Ocampos has the quality to pull the strings for this team, and fans will be pleased to see Luuk de Jong back among the goals.
The away side look well priced to go on and win this game, but draw no bet looks really appealing.
Tip: Sevilla draw no bet
Stake: One unit
