Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
I know, it sounds obvious. But it’s not a big change I’m asking for.
Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone have had the best defence in Europe, if not the world, for the last five seasons, and they have pushed Barca close in La Liga, finishing second in the last two seasons. And they were Champions League runners up in 2014 and 2016.
You can’t come so close to winning two big prizes without wondering what else you need to do. Simeone knows it. But he sold his main supply of goals, Antoine Griezmann to Barca in the summer. He made an exciting signing in Joao Felix, but is he ready to fire Los Rojiblancos to glory?
Well, we won’t know when Atleti host Athletic Bilbao on Saturday because the young striker is injured. Even so, surely Simeone has the strikers to win. The latest odds at SBOBET back Los Rojiblancos as favourites to win this clash at odds of 1.72, with Athletic Club at 5.00 and the draw available at 3.45.
The La Liga 2019 betting odds have Los Blancos as second favourites for the title, after Barca, but with Granada and Real Sociedad playing on Sunday and El Clasico postponed, Simeone’s side can draw level with Barca at the top. Now is the time for Atletico to get moving.
Talking Points
Los Rojiblancos misfiring
It must be so frustrating. In a strange set of early La Liga 2019 results, Barcelona made a poor start to the campaign and Real Madrid still look to be in a phase of transition and naval-gazing. But Atleti haven’t managed to take advantage.
A draw with Valencia last week was not the result Simeone was looking for, and it meant his side had picked up just one win in six, drawing the last three. Just two more wins from those six would have seen Los Rojiblancos clear at the top.
Simeone has had some bad luck with injuries. The creative wide man Vitolo has been out but might be fit to return on Saturday. And now Joao Felix, who has made a bright start with a couple of goals, is out for three weeks having picked up an ankle knock.
Simeone’s side was at their impregnable best against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night, giving the German side little more than a sniff, before Alvaro Morata bagged a late winner. It was their first win on home soil in five games, and with their Champions League campaign ticking along nicely, it might kick-start their domestic challenge.
Diego Costa is the main man up front at the moment, and with Morata alongside and Saul Niguez just behind, you’d like to think Atleti can start to score.
The two meanest defences
Athletic Bilbao started the new season with a bang, beating Barcelona 1-0 on the opening weekend. But they have hit a difficult patch, having without a win in four. But remarkably, they can overtake Atletico with a victory on Saturday.
Like Atleti, they have a tight defence and are extremely hard to break down; it’s only been breached five times this season.
With Alvaro Lopez and Inigo Martinez at the back, their rearguard is supremely organised. In fact, the two teams have identical goal differences, with eight scored and five conceded. No other side in the top half of La Liga has scored fewer.
It’s not easy to sell this game if you’re only interested in goals!
Head coach Gaizka Garitano will be happy with a point on Saturday, but his side will try to hit Atleti on the break. Raul Garcia has scored four goals from midfield for Los Leones and the lively Inaki Williams was on target in the recent 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid.
History
Atletico Madrid have had the best of the head to head matches with Athletic Bilbao, winning 30 of the 51 meetings since 1993, while their visitors have come out on top 14 times and there have been seven draws.
Bilbao won their last meeting 2-0, but last season’s clash here at the Wanda Metropolitano ended in a 3-2 win for Los Rojiblancos. I can’t see a goal-fest this time though!
While Los Rojiblancos haven’t won in four, they are unbeaten in 15 on home soil and Athletic Bilbao is yet to win on the road this season.
Betting Tip
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Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao | Under 2.00 goals @ 1.88 |
| October 27, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
Atleti sit just outside the top four in the La Liga table and need to turn draws into victories while, even after a poor run, Athletic Bilbao are just three points behind in eighth place.
A draw is just not good enough for the hosts and I think they will grind out a win. 1-0 at 4.40 is very tempting, but I’m hedging…just in case Atleti score twice!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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