Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Prediction, Match Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Teams Separated by Two Points
Athletic Bilbao and Real Betis face each other at Stadio San Mames in a highly-anticipated La Liga midweek clash, with both teams fighting for the European spots. Our sportsbook offers the best markets and bonuses in La Liga.
Athletic Bilbao: Out of Form
Despite dominating Monday’s clash at Iberostar Estadi, Athletic Bilbao left it late to earn a point against Mallorca, with Inaki Williams netting a last-minute goal from the penalty spot to snatch a 1-1 draw for his side. The team recorded 16 shots but failed to turn its dominance into three points.
The hosts enjoyed a six-match unbeaten run across the previous two months, recording four wins and two draws across all competitions but managed to pick up just one point from a possible six since then, with a 1-0 defeat to Sevilla preceding Monday’s draw. Bilbao will be desperate to get back to winning ways and fight for one of the European spots, sitting seventh in the standings with 47 points.
Bilbao has now lost four of its last seven La Liga games on home soil, having lost only two of its opening nine league matches at San Mames at the beginning of the campaign, so if you’re betting online, you shouldn’t back Bilbao on Thursday.
Ander Capa, Jon Morcillo, and Iker Muniain are all sidelined due to injury, leaving Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde with multiple selection dilemmas. Defender Inigo Martinez is also a doubt after missing the past two games with a muscle injury. The hosts are expected to start with Yeray Alvarez and Dani Vivian at centre-back.
Real Betis: Struggling for Goals
Real Betis suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Barcelona last time out as the league leader humiliated Manuel Pellegrini’s side at Camp Nou, limiting the visitors to just one shot on target. Just two months ago, Betis was fighting for a top-four finish, but should be happy with its sixth position.
They are trailing Villarreal by four points but also have Bilbao breathing down its neck, sitting just two points behind, so this is a crucial match for both sides, and it will be risky to include one of them in our La Liga picks and parlays.
Betis will not be able to rely on 26-year-old defender Luiz Felipe, who played only 12 minutes in the 4-0 defeat to FC Barcelona before going off due to injury. Edgar Gonzalez was red-carded for two yellow cards in that game and will serve his one-match suspension on Thursday night. Nabil Fekir has also been struggling with a cruciate ligament injury, and Thursday’s away game at Athletic Bilbao would come too soon for the French striker.
Ghana striker Inaki Williams scores injury time penalty to earn draw for Athletic Bilbao against Mallorca https://t.co/cDx1mv76NY pic.twitter.com/V0DXIt4jfJ
— footballghana (@Footballghana3) May 1, 2023
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Head-to-Head
Real Betis has lost each of its last three away league outings, with a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid and a 3-2 loss to Osasuna preceding Saturday’s failure at Camp Nou. Athletic Bilbao has won just two of its previous eight home league games, so the Basque outfit will be eager to turn the tide at San Mames and reignite its quest for European football.
Four of the last five meetings ended with two goals or fewer. Each of Bilbao’s last five games produced a maximum of two goals. Bilbao won all its last eight La Liga home games against Real Betis.
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Match Information
- Match: Athletic Bilbao (13-8-11) vs Real Betis (14-7-11)
- Location: Estadio San Mames, Bilbao
- Day/Time: Thursday, May 4, 4:00 p.m. ET
- Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Live stream: fubo.tv
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Betting Lines
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Picks and Predictions
The hosts enter this clash as favorites, priced at -155 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest La Liga odds, while the goal line is set at 2½.
While Athletic Bilbao has struggled for consistency on home soil recently, Real Betis has struggled to find the back of the net and pick up points on the road. On top of that, the visitors are missing many of their key players, failing to find the back of the net in four of their last five games at this venue, and we expect them to return home empty-handed. Still, we can’t trust Bilbao enough to back it here, but we’re expecting a low-scoring game.
The Athletic Bilbao are listed at -155 in our Vegas Soccer lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Athletic Bilbao, you have a chance to win $65. The Real Betis are +430, offering a chance to win $430 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Athletic Bilbao a 60.78% chance to win, with Real Betis at 18.87%
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis Match Detail
