Osasuna take on the visitors Athletic Bilbao in the round 2 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, August 19th at Estadio El Sadar (Pamplona).
Last season, Osasuna became one of the main revelations in Spanish football. In the league, they finished in a high seventh place, surpassing Athletic Bilbao by just two points. In the cup, they reached the final but lost to the strong Real Madrid. As part of their preparations for the new season, the Reds played an impressive seven friendly matches, losing only two and winning the remaining five. In La Liga, Osasuna also started with a victory, defeating local side Celta Vigo (2-0). It's unlikely that the team will lose in their first official home match of the season.
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Moreover, the Basque teams have been faltering in recent years. In the previous season, Athletic Bilbao only finished in eighth place in La Liga. During the summer friendlies, they didn't perform very well, securing only one victory out of six, against the modest Mexican team Necaxa (2-0). Athletic Bilbao played draws against Racing (0-0), Eibar (1-1), and Manchester United (1-1), and lost to Mexican team Guadalajara (0-2) and Scottish Celtic (2-3). In the domestic league, the team started with a home defeat against Real Madrid (0-2). While Real Madrid are one of the strongest teams in Spain, the Basque team showed almost nothing in attack, managing to hit the target against the capital team's goal only once.
In the previous season, Osasuna won both home matches against Athletic Bilbao: in the league (2-0) and in the semi-final of the country's cup (1-0). By the way, Osasuna eventually eliminated Athletic Bilbao from the cup. I believe that this time, the players from Bilbao won't secure a victory at the El Sadar stadium. At best, the guests might manage a draw. Therefore, my first choice for a bet is 1X. I will also bet on the hosts avoiding defeat in combination with the total under 4.5 goals. In their head-to-head matches, these teams consistently play defensively and have long been unable to surpass the over 2.5 goals mark. As for the under 4.5 goals bet, it failed in only two out of 38 La Liga matches involving Osasuna last season, and in only five matches involving Athletic Bilbao.
Prediction for the match: Osasuna not to lose and Under 4.5 scored goals.
