Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Almeria in the round 9 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Friday, October 6th at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
The Basques are one of only three clubs in Spain that have never left La Liga. The other two are, of course, Real Madrid and Barcelona. While they haven't been able to compete with the latter two for a long time, their unique player recruitment policy (along with modest financial capabilities) has prevented them from even establishing themselves at a relatively high level, let alone securing a spot in European competitions. Returning to Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde failed to secure a place in European competitions based on their performance in the 2022/2023 season. They lost to neighboring Osasuna in the race for the 7th spot in the table and were eliminated by them in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. However, after the summer break (and a 0-2 start against Real Madrid), Athletic Bilbao enjoyed a nice undefeated streak. But their neighbors, Real Sociedad, abruptly ended it with a 3-0 victory in the previous round.
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Almeria have plummeted to the bottom of the table. The Red and Whites fought long and hard to return to the level of La Liga. Initially, even the investments of the new owner, Al-Sheikh, didn't help. It was only under coach Rubi, on his second attempt, that they made it back to La Liga in 2022. Notably, they secured their place there with 41 points, an impressive result for a newcomer and more than enough to secure their status. However, after that, the club parted ways with Rubi in the summer and appointed Vicente Moreno. The new coach, in turn, had a disastrous start to the new La Liga campaign, losing most matches and drawing against Cadiz (1-1 away) and Valencia (2-2 at home). This included a heavy 1-5 loss to a struggling Sevilla last week. They also settled for a draw with Granada despite leading by three goals after Luis Suarez's hat-trick.
Almeria have not won since 2009. Moreover, in the 10 matches that followed, they have only managed one draw, with Athletic Bilbao winning all the rest. The Basques should make amends for their previous round's failure, and they have the opportunity to do so at home against a clearly weaker team. We'll bet that the hosts will win with a -1 goal handicap.
Prediction for the match: Athletic Bilbao to win with -1.0 handicap.
