🔈 Are Athletic Club's preseason results a bad omen for the Basque side? We'll find out soon enough. In the opening round of the Spanish league, Athletic will host Sevilla at San Mamés. The visitors enter the new season without a hint of positivity, coming off a dismal campaign that nearly saw them relegated from La Liga. Bookmakers have considered several factors and statistical trends, offering the following odds for the match: Athletic to win at 1.57, Sevilla to triumph at 6.3.

Head-to-Head

📊 Over their last 10 head-to-head encounters, Athletic hold a slight edge with 5 wins to 3. Last season, the teams settled for a draw at San Mamés (1-1), while at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the visitors clinched a narrow victory with a 1-0 scoreline. The average goal tally over this stretch is just 1.6 goals per game (1 in favor of the Lions against 0.6).

Athletic Bilbao Team Overview

🔴 Ernesto Valverde's squad achieved their goal last season, securing a spot in the premier European tournament by finishing 5th in the league standings. Notably, the "Lions" boasted the most reliable defense at the end of the campaign, conceding just 0.76 goals per match. "San Mamés" has consistently been a fortress for Athletic, with the team averaging 2.05 points per game last season.

⚪ The recent preseason has slightly unsettled fans of the Basque club. After playing seven friendly matches, Athletic recorded just one victory and six defeats. Their only win came against a third-division Spanish side, Ponferradina (1-0).

Sevilla Team Overview

⚪ Ahead of the new season, Sevilla have appointed a new head coach, Matias Almeyda. Before joining the Spanish club, the Argentine tactician had a successful stint in Greece with AEK, clinching both the national cup and league title. His contract is set for three years. It will be quite challenging to perform worse than last season when Joaquin Caparros' squad finished 17th, narrowly avoiding relegation by just one point over Leganes.

🔴 During the preseason, Sevilla focused on being aggressive in the opponent's half and frequently utilized their wide players. As a result, in seven friendly matches, the "Nervionenses" suffered only one defeat, against Birmingham (1-3). Notably, Sevilla managed to score in every game they played.

Latest news

Athletic Bilbao

📰 It seems Athletic have managed to keep several of their key players. Negotiations between Nico Williams and Barcelona fell through, leading the Spanish talent to extend his contract with his hometown club. Oihan Sancet also intends to remain with the "Lions" and compete with the team in the upcoming Champions League campaign.

🎤 Here's what Nico Williams had to say after signing a new deal with Athletic: “I think we are in for a very long season. We have some highly ambitious tournaments ahead of us, like the Champions League, which is a stage every player dreams of. What could be better than doing it with the club of my life? I want to continue making history here at San Mamés, with the fans, with my family, and with great enthusiasm.”

❌ As the new season approaches, the club's injury list is growing. Oihan Sancet suffered another injury in a friendly against Liverpool (2-3). During the preseason, midfielders Beñat Prados, Unai Gómez, and defender Unai Eguiluz also picked up injuries.

Sevilla

🏷 Sevilla's significant financial constraints have impacted their ability to acquire new players this offseason. The only incoming transfers were free agents Alfonso Gonzalez and Gabriel Suazo. Additionally, Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos joined on loan from Newcastle.

🎤 Ahead of La Liga's opening round, Sevilla's head coach Matias Almeyda shared some thoughts: “We've been working with the same energy and focus from day one. It doesn't matter to me if it's a friendly or not—I'm filled with hope and dreams. Today marks the beginning of realizing a dream—a league full of challenges—and we are focused on what we want to achieve. The preseason went well, the players were enthusiastic, and Sunday will be the start of something we hope will be wonderful.” 

❌ In the Nervionenses' injury list are Joan Jordan (back injury), Ramon Martinez (hamstring injury), and Nianzou Kouassi (muscle injury). The participation of Loic Bade and Ruben Vargas remains doubtful for the match.

🟨 Prediction on Yellow Cards

🟨 Prediction on Yellow Cards

Athletic were among the most disciplined teams last season, averaging just 1.6 yellow cards per match. The same can't be said for Sevilla, who received around 2.5 bookings per game. In head-to-head clashes, the "Nervionenses" also hold the edge in this aspect, averaging 3.3 compared to Athletic's 3. We're backing Sevilla to win the yellow card battle.

⚽ Prediction on Goals

Head-to-head encounters between these teams are synonymous with the term "pragmatism." In their last nine meetings, no more than two goals were scored. Both teams also showcased modest scoring records last season: Athletic with 1.4 and Sevilla with 1.1 goals per game. We believe the most reasonable bet is under 2.5 total goals.

🚩 Prediction on Corners

We don't anticipate a dynamic game with constant wing play. In four of Athletic's last five matches, there were no more than 10 corner kicks. A similar trend is evident in Sevilla's previous seven games. Therefore, a sensible betting option would be under 10.5 total corners.

It's still uncertain what to expect from Sevilla under their new coach this season. A reasonable prediction is on the number of goals in the match. The head-to-head encounters between these teams have rarely been goal-fests, with no more than two goals scored in the last nine meetings. A final score of 1-0 seems quite possible. The key bet is on total goals under 2.5.