Athletic Bilbao vs Real Betis

Estadio San Mames plays host to a midweek La Liga top-six six-pointer between Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.

After winning three consecutive La Liga matches in April, Athletic Bilbao have gone winless in their last two league outings (D1, L1), falling two points behind sixth-placed Betis. Worryingly for head coach Ernesto Valverde, his men have suffered three defeats in their five most recent top-flight games at San Mames (W1, D1), which amounts to just one loss fewer than they had in their preceding 20 home games in the league (W12, D4, L4). Moreover, ‘Los Leones’ have failed to secure a victory in their past two La Liga encounters against Betis (D1, L1) and could go three straight top-flight H2Hs without winning for the first time since a run of four in 2013 (D1, L3). But the hosts should be safe and sound after ousting Betis in their last eight league clashes in the Basque country.

When it comes to Betis’ hopes of securing another European finish, a rotten spell of form featuring four defeats in their last six league matches (W1, D1) looks ominous. Manuel Pellegrini’s side succumbed to a woeful 4-0 defeat at Barcelona last weekend, extending their losing streak on the road to three league games, two of which saw them fail to get on the scoresheet. Another upset would lead to a four-match losing streak away from home for the first time since May 2019. That’s not outside the realm of possibility, as ‘Los Verdiblancos’ are winless on their last five competitive travels (D1, L4), conceding 2+ goals on three occasions.