Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Mallorca in the round 23 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Friday, February 2nd at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
Athletic must prove that it lives up to its claims. The Basques cannot help but be ambitious, as the rich history and traditions weigh heavily on them. However, their recent achievements include only the Super Cup won under Marcelino. The coach, who started so promisingly at San Mames, did not continue with anything positive. On the contrary, he immediately lost two Copa del Rey finals. Valverde's return, however, did not bring immediate noticeable results either. They eliminated Osasuna, their neighbor, in the cup semifinal, but couldn't secure a 7th place. Now, in the Copa, they have a home El Clasico quarterfinal against Barcelona, and the Williams brothers' goals in extra time brought a crucial and pleasant victory. In La Liga, after a strong stretch with victories over Atletico and Real Sociedad, Athletic even climbed to 4th place. Then, unexpectedly, they stumbled against Valencia, losing 0-1. Later, they couldn't even score against Cadiz, ending up with a goalless draw against the outsider.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Mallorca managed to reach the final of the Copa del Rey and spend time in the third division over the last couple of decades. Overall, they were perceived as an elevator between divisions before Agirre's arrival. When the Mexican came to the club less than 2 years ago, he might have been considered a coach for the Segunda, as no one believed that the La Liga newcomer in the spring of 2022 would survive. However, Javier managed to gather enough points to secure a place in the top tier. In the next season, representatives of the popular island resort were already showing the results of a solid mid-table team, finishing in 9th place. After the summer break, they couldn't reproduce that form. However, on the other hand, they eliminated Tenerife in the cup's Round of 16, even if it was thanks to a single goal in the 121st minute. This was followed by an unexpected 3-2 against Girona, where they stunned the opponent with a powerful start, scoring three times in just over half an hour. Moreover, in La Liga, they only lost to Real away from the end of November, 0-1. After the short winter break, they drew 1-1 with Celta and Villarreal. Only against Betis did they lack strength, losing 0-1.
Both matches last season ended with uneventful draws, 0-0 and 1-1. Now, in early September, they managed to avoid goals on the Bermellones field. The odds confidently point to Athletic as the future winner. However, they have played several toothless matches in a row, so we will use the option of total under 2.5 goals for the bet.
Prediction for the match: Under 2.5 scored goals.
