The Matchday 24 clash in La Liga between Espanyol and Athletic will take place on February 16 at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona. Espanyol vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Espanyol
In the previous round, the Catalans suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Real Sociedad. Prior to that, the team enjoyed a four-match unbeaten run in La Liga (2 wins and 2 draws), which included a sensational victory over Real Madrid (1-0). Notably, Espanyol has not had any similar streaks this season. Manolo Gonzalez's side is in 16th place, just one point clear of the nearest relegation rival.
Goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco and midfielder Jose Gragera are sidelined due to injuries.
- The club has won only two of their last nine La Liga matches (4 draws and 3 losses).
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline of Espanyol's last seven league games.
- Both teams have scored in 8 of Espanyol's last 11 home La Liga matches.
Predicted lineup for Espanyol (4-4-2)
Joan Garcia – Omar El Hilali, Leandro Cabrera, Fernando Calero, Marash Kumbulla – Alvaro Aguado, Edu Exposito, Alex Kral, Antonio Roca – Javi Puado, Roberto Fernandez Jaen.
Athletic
In the last round, the Basques recorded their second big win of the current La Liga campaign. Playing at home, the club from Bilbao thrashed Girona 3-0. As a result, their unbeaten run in the league has extended to 14 matches (8 wins and 6 draws). Such results have allowed Ernesto Valverde's team to secure fourth place in the standings, just six points behind the leader.
Forward Alvaro Djalo is out due to injury.
- At least two goals have been scored in 8 of Athletic's last 9 La Liga matches.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline in 5 of Athletic's last 6 away La Liga games.
- The club has won the second half in 7 of their last 9 La Liga matches.
Predicted lineup for Athletic (4-2-3-1)
Unai Simon – Adama Boirou, Oscar De Marcos, Yeray Alvarez, Daniel Vivian – Benat Prados, Mikel Jauregi – Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Alex Berenguer – Gorka Guruzeta.
Referee
Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (Spain)
Matches – 11 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 56;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 18%.
Match Prediction for Espanyol vs. Athletic
Last season, the Basques managed to defeat the Catalans 2-1 on their home turf in the second round. However, before that, the club from Bilbao failed to beat Espanyol away for 23 consecutive league matches (9 draws and 14 losses). Espanyol is clearly a tough opponent for Athletic, especially in Catalonia, so I expect the visitors will not secure a victory in the upcoming match.
Moreover, Manolo Gonzalez's side has not tasted defeat in their last six home matches in La Liga (3 wins and 3 draws). In their most recent home game, they managed to defeat the league leader without conceding a goal. While Athletic has decent away results, they have not won five of their last eight away league matches (4 draws and 1 loss). Therefore, I favor the prediction – "Espanyol to win or draw".
