Beşiktaş JK vs Athletic Bilbao: betting odds January 22, 2025

The Matchday 7 encounter in 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, Baktiyor Zainutdinov, Jonas Svensson – Al Musrati, Sher N’Dour – Onur Bulut, Rafa Silva, Gedson Fernandes – Semih Kılıçsoy.

Athletic (4-2-3-1): Julen Agirrezabala – Andoni Gorosabel, Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Yeray Alvarez – Mikel Jauregi, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams – Gorka Guruzeta.

The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.

Besiktas

The club has lost its last two Europa League group stage matches, marking the second time this has happened in the current competition. Initially, the Turkish side suffered a surprising home defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv (1-3), followed by an away loss to Bodo/Glimt (1-2). Besiktas has accumulated only six points, placing them in a disappointing 28th position in the standings. Should Besiktas drop more points, their chances of reaching the playoffs will diminish significantly.

Last week, the club appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as head coach, marking his return to management after being out of work for over three years following his departure from Manchester United.

• At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Besiktas's last 8 Europa League matches.
• Both teams scored in 7 of the last 9 matches for the Istanbul side in this tournament.
• In their last 16 Europa League matches, the club has only managed 4 wins in regular time (2 draws and 10 losses).

Athletic

The Basque side will play their second consecutive Europa League match in Istanbul. In their previous tournament game, they defeated Fenerbahce 2-0. This marked their fifth consecutive victory in the group stage, during which they conceded only one goal. Additionally, they drew once – in the first round away against Roma (1-1). Ernesto Valverde's team sits second in the standings, trailing Lazio on goal difference. Notably, the club has already secured a playoff spot, and a win would ensure their place in the Europa League round of 16.

• Exactly two or three goals have been scored in 6 of Athletic's last 7 matches in this competition.
• The team has a 14-match scoring streak in the Europa League.
• The Spaniards have avoided defeat in 9 of their last 10 away matches in this tournament (5 wins and 4 draws).

Besiktas vs. Athletic: Match Prediction

The Spaniards hold a five-point lead over the ninth position. Thus, Athletic may only need one point from the remaining two rounds to reach the Europa League round of 16. Furthermore, they boast a healthy goal difference of 11:2. However, it's unlikely that Athletic will need to rely on tiebreakers to determine their top-eight finish in the group stage, as they will host Viktoria Plzen in the final round, where they can expect a positive result.

Therefore, I anticipate that the Spaniards will not exert maximum effort in this match. They are likely to focus on defending their goal and rely on counterattacks. Besiktas is much more motivated, as a loss could see them miss out on the playoffs. The players will aim to impress their new coach and secure a crucial victory.

My prediction: Besiktas win or draw