Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad
Spanish La Liga
Date: Friday, 5 October 2018
Kick-Off at 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
Venue: San Mames Barria (Bilbao)
This the big one for fans of Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad although to some extent the Basque rivalry is friendlier than many other derbies with a shared identity a unifying factor. On the pitch they’ve been relatively evenly matched over the past few years and this Friday’s La Liga clash promises to be another pretty close contest.
Neither side will be totally thrilled with how the season is panning out so far. With neither team in Europe, both had a good opportunity to focus their attentions on La Liga but both sides are currently languishing in the bottom half. Athletic haven’t won since the opening day but they have only lost once and have seen one of their games postponed. A 1-1 draw at Camp Nou last time out was a very decent result but they were hammered 3-0 by Villarreal in their most recent outing at home.
It’s a pretty mixed story as far as Sociedad are concerned too. Like Athletic they have a new boss with Asier Garitano at the helm but he has struggled to stamp his authority on this side and a few injury and suspension issues haven’t helped. A return of 8 points from 7 games will disappoint him but it’s worth noting that 7 of those 8 points did come away so they should still be able to travel with confidence here.
La Real have made a slow start to life at the new-look Anoeta but they’d done pretty well on the road, recording wins at Villarreal and Eibar. They’ve a pretty good recent record at San Mames too, leaving with at least a point on 4 of their last 5 visits so there’s reason to think they can do likewise again here.
Athletic have had some tough games, having already faced both Barcelona and Real Madrid but they have developed a real habit of squandering leads. They’ve taken the lead in 4 of their last 5 matches but have failed to win any of them. Indeed they were two up against both Huesca and Betis but still only ended up with a point. They don’t fully seem to be over their problems from last season and a lack of quality arrivals this summer didn’t help although clearly they are limited by their ‘Basque only’ policy.
San Mames has tended to be a fortress for them over the years but their recent home form is not good. They’ve only won 2 of their last 9 at home in La Liga, losing 4 and the value here looks to lie with backing Real Sociedad Double Chance.
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad: Prediction
Much like the case was with Bilbao, Sociedad also had an inconsistent campaign so far in the season. They only took eight points in seven games (still one more than Basque rivals). Nevertheless, we have to say the visitors will come into the match in lower spirits following a 0-1 loss to Valencia six days ago at Anoeta.
Asier Garitano’s men have previously just drawn 2-2 to Rayo Vallecano at home. They lost three, drew one and won one of last five league matches.
Given Sociedad struggled for success at San Mames beforehand, we can’t see them winning this one. The draw does pop up as the most likable of three outcomes and we’ll go for it at the 3.30 odds here. The value is with BTTS pick at 1.95.
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad: Bet Tips
Draw @ 3.30 (23/10)
BTTS @ 1.95 (19/20).