Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla Odds & Betting Preview La Liga Round 35
- Athletic Bilbao host Sevilla on Thursday, July 9th at 4:00 pm EST at the San Mames Stadium
- Sevilla are two games above replacement in the Spanish top four, while Athletic Bilbao sit further down the table in ninth place
- Currently, the favorites in the match are Sevilla with a moneyline of +149
In the 35th round of La Liga play, Athletic Bilbao faces Sevilla, as Julen Lopetegui’s side looks to clinch Champions League play next season. Sevilla currently holds fourth place, just six points ahead of Villarreal with four games remaining in the Spanish top-flight campaign. Athletic Bilbao will look to stop this feat with a run of form that has actually been quite bright since the restart.
In their five most recent matches, Athletic Bilbao has only lost two matches. The culprits? Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, both games finished only by a score of 1-0, while they also gathered wins against Mallorca, Real Betis and Valencia. Additionally, Sevilla themselves are coming off two wins which should make this a fierce match-up.
Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla Odds
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Bilbao | pk +½ (-127) | +197 | Over 2 (-112) |
| Sevilla | pk -½ (+107) | +149 | Under 2 (-108) |
| Draw | N/A | +200 | N/A |
Odds taken July 7
Are Sevilla Finally Past Their Spell of Mediocre Form?
Despite coming off two victories, Sevilla has been extremely stagnant since Spanish football has resumed. Over a span of a week and a half, they managed to draw four games in a row, putting their European qualification into jeopardy. Now they must finish the season strong if they want to avoid the footsteps of Villareal behind them.
😱 LUCAS OCAMPOS SAVES THE MATCH 😱
The game's lone goalscorer had to serve as the replacement goalkeeper and came up with the save to secure all 3 points for Sevilla! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7kCwKNeoRM
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) July 6, 2020
As Lucas Ocampos got back to his scoring ways Monday night, Sevilla will look to gather their third win in a row on Thursday. The reverse fixture in January saw the two teams out to a stalemate with a score of one all. Mixed between a Sevilla win and two Bilbao victories, this result has really been an ever-changing bag the past couple of years.
Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla Statistics
| 9th (48 Points) | Standing in La Liga | 4th (60 Points) |
| 1.1 | Goals per game | 1.4 |
| 10.8 | Shots per game | 12.7 |
| 48.8% | Average Possession % | 55.4% |
Athletic Bilbao’s Defense Will Prove to be a Challenge
Sevilla come into this match with one thing in mind, the Athletic Bilbao defense. A mix of Yeray Alvarez and Inigo Martinez has proved worthwhile for Bilbao. Worthy enough to make them the third-best defense in the league in terms of goals conceded. Sevilla has only managed to score 49 goals this year, a mark that is quite unimpressive for their place on the table.
This combination could result in a low-scoring or too close to call match-up. Furthermore, out of Sevilla’s last seven matches, only two have been decided by more than one goal, which supports this point. Sevilla ultimately has more on the line here, but either way, it should be an entertaining fixture as La Liga comes to a close this year.
Best Bet
Finally, the best bet for this match is a draw with moneyline odds of +200. A draw is a tough bet to make in soccer. There are so many variables and so many things that need to happen for it to line up. However, for this match, it makes perfect sense and has all the value to justify putting money on it.
Bilbao has been extremely sharp in the back, but are not a true goal-scoring team. Meanwhile, Sevilla has been sluggish and history shows that this is a very feasible outcome. Especially at the home of Athletic Club, expect this one to end in a bitter deadlock.
My Pick: Draw (+200)
Josh Ricker is a freelance sports journalist, currently attending the University of Southern Maine (Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Marketing). He has recently interned with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, and his work has been featured on Fansided, as well as now here on SBD.
