Villarreal’s recent terrible run of form has left them hanging onto their Europa League place in La Liga. They will be looking to get back to winning ways on Sunday, as they make the trip to Athletic Bilbao.
La Liga Preview
It has been a disappointing number of weeks for Villarreal, as they have fallen out of contention for a Champions League place in La Liga. However, they will still be keen to qualify for the Europa League this season, and the best way to do that will be to finish in the top six spots. In order to do that, they must improve their recent league form, and quickly. They have a three-point advantage over Real Betis at present, but they are fortunate to still have that lead given that they haven’t won in five league games. If it hadn’t been for Betis’ short-comings, then Villarreal would have fallen out of the European places. Villarreal have lost just once in those five games though, as four of the games have ended in draw. That defeat came in their last La Liga game, as they were beaten 2-1 by Betis.
Athletic Bilbao are locked in tenth place in La Liga at present, and may have missed out on their chance to close the gap on the Europa League spots over recent weeks, as they have lost two of their last five fixtures. They have won just two games during this run of results, but they could move up to eighth should they get the win this weekend. However, defeat could see them finish the weekend as low as eleventh. Bilbao picked up a win in their last league game against Cadiz, as Alejandro Berenguer Remiro scored twice in a 4-0 success.
Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal Head To Head
The meetings between these two sides have been dominated by draws over recent years. Four of the last seven have ended in draws, with the most popular result being 1-1. However, Bilbao did beat Villarreal in their home fixture last season, as they picked up a hard-fought 1-0 win.
Athletic Bilbao vs Villarreal Prediction
Both of these sides have struggled for consistency this season, and the fact that there have been so many draws between the sides could indicate that the most likely result could be another one. Neither side will want to lose the game, but neither have shown enough quality over recent weeks to demonstrate that they will take all three points.
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