Athletic Bilbao will be looking to keep their European dream alive on Thursday evening when they travel to Osasuna. The hosts could move level on points with Bilbao if they are able to record a second win in three matches.
La Liga Preview
Athletic Bilbao holds the advantage in the race for a Europa Conference League spot in La Liga with just three rounds of matches remaining. However, they will need to maintain high performance levels to secure that spot, as there are at least four challengers in the race for the final European spot in the Spanish top-flight. They come into this match with renewed hope, as they ended a four-game winless run with a success in their previous match.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for Bilbao on Saturday, as they landed a 2-1 home success against Celta Vigo. Inaki Williams opened the scoring after five minutes, but the crucial second goal in the success was netted early in the second half by Alejandro Berenguer Remiro. A second straight win will be required to keep their Europa Conference League hopes in their own hands.
Osasuna are among the teams in the hunt for a Europa Conference League spot, but they could also drop into the bottom half of the standings if they drop to a defeat on Thursday. They come into this fixture sitting tenth, and they will need to improve their recent run of form if they are to finish in the top seven.
Osasuna has won just once over their previous four matches, while they have suffered three defeats over the same period. They also come into this fixture after suffering a loss in their most recent fixture against Atletico Madrid.
Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao Head to Head
Osasuna eliminated Bilbao in the Copa del Rey earlier this year, but they are without a La Liga win over their rivals since October 2020. This exact fixture last term was won 3-1 by Bilbao, while the visitors have won two of the previous three. Bilbao is also without a league defeat against Osasuna in four clashes.
Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction
This is likely to be a cagey meeting between the sides. Each of the previous four have resulted in under 2.5 goals, and that could be a solid betting angle once again this weekend. However, we could see Bilbao having the quality to scrape a 1-0 win on the road.
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