The Matchday 7 encounter of the 2024/25 Europa League group stage between Besiktas (Turkey) and Athletic (Spain) will take place on January 22 at the Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul. Besiktas vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 31;
Average yellow cards per match – 6.2;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 40%.
Predicted lineups for Besiktas vs. Athletic
Besiktas (4-2-3-1): Ersin Destanoglu – Emirhan Topcu, Tayyib Talha Sanuc, Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov, Jonas Svensson – Al Musrati, Cher Ndour – Onur Bulut, Rafa Silva, Gedson Fernandes – Semih Kılıçsoy.
Athletic (4-2-3-1): Julen Agirrezabala – Andoni Gorosabel, Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Yeray Alvarez – Mikel Haurregui, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams – Gorka Guruzeta.
The starting lineup for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.
Besiktas
The club has suffered defeats in their last two Europa League group stage matches, marking the second time this has happened in the current tournament. First, the Turks unexpectedly lost at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv (1-3), followed by an away defeat to Bodo/Glimt (1-2). Besiktas currently sits with only 6 points and a disappointing 28th place in the standings. If Besiktas drops points again, their chances of advancing to the playoffs will be significantly reduced.
Last week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge of the club, having been out of work for over three years since his departure from Manchester United. Additionally, midfielder Necip Uysal and defenders Serkan Terzi and Tayyib Talha Sanuc will miss the match due to injuries.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Besiktas' last 8 Europa League games.
- Both teams have scored in 7 of Besiktas' last 9 matches in this tournament.
- In their last 16 Europa League matches, the club has won only 4 times in regular time (2 draws and 10 losses).
Athletic
The Basques will play their second consecutive Europa League match in Istanbul. In their previous tournament game, they defeated Fenerbahce 2-0. This marked their fifth straight group stage victory, during which they conceded only one goal. The Spaniards also drew once in the first round away against Roma (1-1). Ernesto Valverde's side is in second place in the standings, trailing Lazio on goal difference. Notably, the club has already secured a playoff spot, and a win would guarantee them a place in the Europa League round of 16.
- Exactly two or three goals have been scored in 6 of Athletic's last 7 Europa League matches.
- The team has a 14-match scoring streak in the Europa League.
- The Spaniards have not lost in 9 of their last 10 away matches in this tournament (5 wins and 4 draws).
Besiktas vs. Athletic: Match Prediction
The Spaniards have a five-point lead over the ninth spot. Thus, Athletic might only need one point from the remaining two rounds to advance to the Europa League round of 16. Moreover, they have a solid goal difference of 11:2. However, it's unlikely that Athletic will need to rely on tiebreakers, as they will face Viktoria Plzen at home in the final round, where they can aim for a maximum result.
Therefore, I expect the Spaniards not to exert maximum effort in this match. They are likely to focus on defending and hope for counter-attacks. Besiktas is much more motivated, as a loss could leave them out of the playoffs. The players will try to impress their new coach and secure a crucial victory.
My prediction – Besiktas win or draw
