Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla 12/11/21 LaLiga Soccer Picks, Predictions, and Odds

Athletic Bilbao is welcoming Sevilla to San Mames in round 17 of the Spanish LaLiga. Bilbao is solid defensively, but they are not scoring a lot, and that is really messing with their form this season. Sevilla is in a shock right now after getting knocked out of the Champions League, but they are still doing a solid job in LaLiga.

Bilbao is in 9^th place right now, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but they haven’t won any of their last 7 games. Offensively, Bilbao was solid at the start of the season, but they have cooled off completely since then, and they have now scored 13 goals. In their last game against Getafe on the road, Bilbao was solid with 55% of ball possession, 3 shots on goal, 3 corner kicks, 0 big chances created, and 77% of the correct passes. This wasn’t a particularly enjoyable game, and it ended in a 0-0 draw. There are a lot of good things in Bilbao, especially on the defensive end, but if they want to make something out of this season, Bilbao will need to focus more on the offense, otherwise, they can keep dreaming about the Europa League.

Sevilla was playing in a crucial game in the Champions League earlier this week, and it was against Red Bull Salzburg on the road. Sevilla was the dominant team with 66% of ball possession, but only 1 shot on goal, 5 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and 80% of the correct passes. The first half ended in a 0-0 draw, but Salzburg scored at the start of the second half. In the 64^th minute, Sevilla has conceded a red card, and that was the end of the road for them in the Champions League. As far as LaLiga goes, Sevilla is now in 2^nd place with 31 points, which is 8 points less than Real Madrid, but Sevilla also has a game less played. Defensively, Sevilla is the best team in the league right now, and their offense has been quite good with 25 scored goals. Mir is the leading goalscorer for Sevilla with 5 goals, while Lamela added 4 goals. There are a lot of injuries in Sevilla right now, while Rakitic is suspended because of the yellow cards. The next few games in LaLiga will be tough for Sevilla, but they are a good team that can beat anyone, and I see some points for them in those games.

Sevilla is in better form, that is for sure, and they are also better in the attacking end than Bilbao, but this will be a tough game. With all the injuries, I just can’t side with Sevilla, but there is no way I’m siding with Bilbao either. I’m taking the draw in this one.