Sevilla vs Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao will take a quick trip to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to take on Sevilla in one of the marquee La Liga games on the 28th matchday of the 2024-25 season this Sunday. This will be their fourth match (across all competitions) in nine days.
Ernesto Valverde’s men are handling their business well this month. After losing against Atletico Madrid in the league and AS Roma in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie, Athletic Bilbao bounced back with a 1-1 draw against Mallorca and a 3-1 result in the return leg to keep their European hopes alive. They remain fourth in the Spanish top-flight table with 49 points and are looking to hold on for as long as possible.
Meanwhile, Sevilla are the 10th seed with 36 points. Garcia Pimienta’s men haven’t lost in the last four matches, which helps their European football pursuit next season.
Talking Points
Lukebakio makes Sevilla viable
Sevilla is far from the European powerhouse it once were. However, one player who can push the team forward is their winger Dodi Lukebakio. The Belgian international is one of the distant challengers for the Pichichi trophy this season with 11 league goals and is a key contributor to their four-game unbeaten run.
Lukebakio led the way in Sevilla’s 4-0 win against Valladolid by scoring a late goal, sparking their undefeated streak. The 27-year-old also saved Los Palanganas from the jaws of defeat by scoring the equaliser against Rayo Vallecano after trailing for most of the night two weeks ago.
Sevilla are over-reliant on Lukebakio since Juanlu Sanchez, Isaac Romero, and Chidera Ejuke only have nine league goals and six assists combined this year, though Ejuke scored the matchwinner against Real Sociedad last Sunday.
Los Palanganas were tempted to sell when Al-Nassr knocked on the door during the winter transfer window, but Lukebakio rejected the Saudi Pro League side’s advances. However, as his stock continues to go up, Sevilla might have to find a potential replacement for him.
Williams inspiring Athletic Bilbao
Nico Williams has been in fine form for Athletic Bilbao during their two-game unbeaten run (across all competitions), accounting for three of their last four goals. He scored the much-needed equaliser against Mallorca last Sunday to share the spoils, and Williams scored a brace against 10-man AS Roma to lead the comeback and bring Los Leones to the quarter-finals.
The younger Williams was at a career crossroads last summer when Barcelona aggressively pursued him. However, the 22-year-old winger’s decision to stay in San Mames has paid off. After eliminating AS Roma, Nico Williams said he’s determined to lead his squad to the final, which will be held on home soil.
Ernesto Valverde has a bigger artillery unit unlike Garcia Pimienta. Besides the Williams brothers (Nico and Inaki), Valverde can also depend on Oihan Sancet (13 goals), Gorka Guruzeta (six goals), and Alex Berenguer (five goals) to find the back of the net.
History
Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao have already faced off earlier this season. Both sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw last September at San Mames, as Alex Padilla’s stoppage-time own goal nullified Mikel Jauregizar’s first-half score. Los Leones were even reduced to 10 men when starting goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala received a red card during the 82nd minute.
Los Leones aim to win their second straight league match against Los Palanganas for the first time since 1965. Athletic Bilbao are undefeated in their last two La Liga away matches against Sevilla (W1, D1).
Sevilla are winless in their last three La Liga matches against Athletic Bilbao (D1, L2) – the longest drought since November 2014 (D1, L3). They have yet to win back-to-back games in the competition under Garcia Pimienta.
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2025 odds expect the visitors to take the three points this Sunday, but they’ll earn it the hard way. Athletic Bilbao are pegged to win at 2.43, but Sevilla are not far behind at 2.78, and a draw is at 3.01 in the 1X2 market.
Both teams are expected to find the back of the net as part of this weekend’s La Liga 2025 highlights reel, with Los Leones likely to score more goals. Besides our recommended bet, SBOTOP fans can also go for options like Over 2.00 at 1.78, Over 2.25 at 2.07, Over 2.50 at 2.38, and Total Goals 2-3 at 1.98. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 1-1 – the result of the reverse fixture – has a decent offer of 5.70 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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