Athletic Bilbao take on the visitors Sevilla in the round 31 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Thursday, April 27th at Estadio San Mamés (Bilbao).
Athletic are one of the most respected clubs in Spain, it is enough to remember that they have never been relegated from La Liga. But at the same time, in Bilbao there is their own unique and fundamental but extremely conservative personnel policy. This, according to many, hinders the overall success. However, with Valverde, they did quite well, and it is not surprising that last summer they decided to take advantage of the opportunity to bring him back to San Mames. By the way, at the start of the new season, already under his leadership, Athletic was able to show a powerful stretch. The team from Bilbao could not hold on to this level for long. But at the same time, they were able to reach the semifinals of the Cup. Moreover, there, after losing 0-1 away to Osasuna, they were able to win at home with the same score, but in extra time, pamplonicas scored the deciding goal. Having missed out on the Copa del Rey, the Basques were able to improve their performance within the championship. They ended March with a victory over Valladolid, and in April, after a 0-0 draw with Getafe, they defeated not only the modest Espanyol, but also the ambitious neighbor, Real Sociedad. After that, the victory over Almeria was already perceived as something from the mandatory program.
Sevilla were the number 4 force in Spanish football until last season. However, there were problems even in the 2021/2022 season, but they seemed to prefer not to notice them and did not fix them during the summer transfer window. As a result, Julen Lopetegui was fired after six months, followed by Jorge Sampaoli. But it has long been clear that if the current situation is to be saved, it will only be through the Spaniards' signature tournament, the Europa League. There, White Andalusia under the Argentine coach confidently made it to the playoffs and beat PSV and Fenerbahce. They already played against Manchester United under the guidance of the new coach, Mendilibar, who took up his duties in April. And the European Cup debut of the coach was memorable: they snatched a draw at Old Trafford, coming back from 0-2 down. Although this was done with a pair of own goals, and the draw ricochet from Maguire flew in on the 2nd added minute. At their home stadium, Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, the nervionenses brilliantly took advantage of the British mistakes and won 3-0. The new coach can be credited with the final breakaway from the danger zone. Yes, they missed a victory over Celta, although, like MU, they were leading 2-0 at home. But they took the maximum points away from Cadiz and Valencia. And even with a motivated Villarreal, they won 2-1.
Last season, Sevilla won both matches with an identical score of 1-0. But in October, the sides drew 1-1. The Basques are considered the favorites at home. But White Andalusia gained momentum in April as well. Let's bet on both teams to score.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score.
