Granada CF vs Athletic Bilbao Odds & Preview La Liga Round 38
- The 2020 La Liga season comes to a close on Sunday as Granada CF play host to Athletic Bilbao
- With a Europa League berth still within reach, Granada are strongly favored against Athletic Club, who are coming off a demoralizing loss to Leganes
- Read on to get all the odds and trends ahead of this La Liga Round 38 matchup
Granada CF will be aiming to put the brakes on a four-match winless streak on home turf when they close out their La Liga schedule by playing host to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday as +105 favorites in the La Liga Round 38 odds.
Granada CF vs Athletic Bilbao Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline Odds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granada CF | 0.0, -0.5 (-130) | +105 | O 2.0, 2.5 (-125) |
| Athletic Bilbao | +0.0, +0.5 (+110) | +260 | U 2.0, 2.5 (+105) |
| Draw | n/a | +240 | n/a |
*Odds taken on 07/18/2020
Granada Searching for End to Home Woes
Granada CF return home for their final contest of the season after tallying a 2-1 win in Mallorca on Thursday. The Naziries have been steady producers on the road, picking up at least a point in seven straight contests, but have struggled to take advantage of home field, earning just a single point over their past contests at Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes.
The club’s home woes have continued despite a recent uptick in offensive production. The Nazaries were held to just a single total goal in consecutive home losses to Villarreal and Eibar, but have averaged two goals per match over their past five outings, including a narrow 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in their most recent home date this past Monday.
Home Field Advantage Key in H2H Matchups
A visit from Athletic Bilbao may be just what Granada need to improve their fortunes. Home field advantage has played a big role in recent meetings between these two clubs. ATH have surrendered just a single goal while posting three straight home victories over Granada. But it is the Nazaries that have held the upper hand in contests played in Andalusia, going 3-1-1 in their past five meetings across all competitions, while holding Athletic Club off the scoresheet on three occasions.
Muscle injury for Granada’s Dimitri Foulquier. Right hamstring. Cant recover. #LaLiga #GranadaCF
— InjuryMechanisms (@IMechanisms) July 14, 2020
However, Granada remain racked by injuries and suspensions heading into their season finale. Midfielder Alvaro Vadillo will sit out a suspension on Sunday after accumulating five yellow cards, while several Granada defenders are sidelined by injury, including Quini, Jesus Vallejo, and Dimitri Foulquier.
Granada CF vs Athletic Bilbao Stats
| 9th (53 points) | Standing in La Liga | 10th (51 points) |
| 1.30 | Goals per game | 1.11 |
| 1.22 | Goals against per game | 0.92 |
| 3-1-1 | W-D-L record in past five La Liga matches | 2-0-3 |
Athletic Bilbao Producing Road Results
Fresh off a disappointing 2-0 home loss to bottom-feeding Leganes, Athletic Bilbao travel to Granada for Sunday’s matchup pegged as lengthy +260 underdogs. Overall, Athletic have fallen to defeat in three of their past four outings, with each of those defeats coming on home turf. The club has fared far better on the road of late, compiling a respectable 3-1-1 win-draw-loss record over their past five contests, and scoring 10 total goals over that stretch.
📊 The full table after Matchday 37.
Real Madrid are champions… and could Leganes pull off the great escape? 🌟#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/oqNl2a4OPa
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) July 16, 2020
Goalkeeper Unai Simon will be unavailable for Sunday’s matchup after taking a red card just 22 minutes into this week’s loss to Leganes, which all but ended the club’s hopes climbing into seventh place on the La Liga table and seizing a berth in next season’s UEFA Europa League.
Garcia Powering ATH Attack
Raul Garcia has powered the sporadic Athletic Bilbao attack. The veteran midfielder has filled the net on the road lately, potting seven total goals over the club’s past six away contests in league play, including all four goals scored by the club over their past two road matches. However, Garcia has produced limited offense in recent dates with Granada, scoring just two total goals in 12 head-to-head clashes since arriving in Bilbao eight years ago.
🦁⚽️ Raul Garcia
🦁⚽️ Raul Garcia
🐸⚽️ Enis Bardhi📽️ Enjoy the highlights from @Athletic_en's win over Levante! 🍿#LevanteAthletic pic.twitter.com/WMq11JkxT7
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) July 12, 2020
Despite those concerns, Sunday’s matchup promises to be a high-scoring affair. And with a berth in European competition next season still potentially in reach of Granada, look for the Nazaries to bring an air of desperation and wide open play to their final date of the La Liga campaign.
Picks: Granada CF to win and both teams to score (+360); Raul Garcia to score anytime (+179)
Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
