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Horse Racing Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Prediction: Team News and Lineups Preview
Our expert, Tom Winch, has picked out three selections for this La Liga clash in our Athletic Bilbao vs Girona prediction, team news, lineups and fixtures preview.
Monday night’s clash in La Liga is between two strong sides. Athletic Bilbao hosts Girona in what should be an entertaining encounter. The home side are favourites, but you can’t underestimate Michel’s men.
Our Athletic Bilbao vs Girona prediction is for Athletic Bilbao to win the match 3-1.
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Prediction, Team News, Standings and Lineups Preview
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 1: Athletic Bilbao Over 1.5 Goals
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 2: Alex Berenguer Anytime Goalscorer
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 3: Athletic Bilbao Over 0.5 Second Half Goals & Girona Over 0.5 Goals
In this article:
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Team News and Possible Lineups
- TheAthletic Bilbao vs Girona, La Liga Standings Prediction
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Match Stats
- Athletic Bilbao Fixtures
- Girona Fixtures
- Safer Gambling
This week’s bettingexpert Football Podcast looking ahead at the weekend’s schedule
And if you’d rather see the Podcast, Daniel Jenkins, and Sam Ingram in all their glory, here’s the YouTube video.
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 1: Are They Running Out Of Steam?
Spain, La Liga, Monday, February 19th, 20:00 (UK)
Only the two Madrid clubs have amassed more points than Athletic Club has at home this campaign. Estadio San Mames is one of the trickiest venues to visit across Spain. Ernesto Valverde’s men have accumulated 29 points from a possible 36 this term, winning six La Liga matches on the spin.
Girona deserves plenty of credit. What a season they’re having. Unfortunately, they’ve stuttered in recent weeks. They failed to score at home against Real Sociedad, which is no disgrace. Real Madrid made a statement over the previous weekend. A 4-0 dismantling at the Bernabeu has halted any chance at an unexpected title surge.
Athletic Bilbao has been the best home side for goals scored. Lehoiak has netted 31 times here this term. Real Madrid have been the only side to prevent them from finding the back of the net. They won 2-0 here on the opening day of the season. Athletic Bilbao has scored multiple times in ten of 12 encounters at this venue.
Despite Girona’s fantastic campaign, only Sevilla, Almeria, Villarreal and Granada have conceded a greater xG. It may be time to get against Michel’s men. It’s not easy to do, but they could be starting to run out of steam.
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 1: Athletic Bilbao Over 1.5 Goals (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 1.83
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 6/10
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 2: Back In Business
Alex Berenguer has taken a while to get going this season. He’s been in and out of the team and has missed matches due to injury. Athletic Bilbao’s man has played just 741 minutes this campaign. He’s made an impact in two of the previous four games.
Berenguer scored the only goal in their 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey earlier this month. His brace at home over a month ago was enough to claim all three points against fellow European chasers Real Sociedad.
There’s a possibility that Athletic Bilbao’s number seven will be on penalty duty in this encounter. He’s already slotted home from the spot this season. Despite his lack of playing time, Alex’s statistics are impressive. In those 741 minutes, AB7 has recorded 17 shots, seven hitting the target.
Per 90 minutes, our man is averaging 0.49xG. Berenguer is impressive with both feet and isn’t afraid to shoot from range. His price in the goal scorer market does stand out. Six Athletic Club player prices are shorter, which doesn’t seem right.
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 2: Alex Berenguer Anytime Goalscorer (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 4.00
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 3/10
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 3: Creating The Value
Athletic Bilbao have scored 18 times after the half-time interval at home this season. Real Madrid and Real Sociedad are the only two sides to prevent the red and whites from doing so.
Girona has struggled. They’ve not scored in back-to-back matches. I expect them to give a good account of themselves in this clash. No side has scored more goals this season than their 52. Michel’s men have scored in 20/24 matches and 10/12 away from home.
BTTS is 1.61. It’s short but one you can’t argue with. Both sides should contribute to the goal tally on Monday night. Athletic Club have kept a clean sheet in 50% of their matches at this venue.
Of the six sides who have failed to score, Atletico is the only real surprise. Several teams in La Liga are poor offensively, especially away from home.
Dovbyk, Portu, Tsygankov and Savio should all play a part in this clash. The quartet have enough quality to cause the hosts problems. The Ukrainian has 14 goals this term. Just two players have more. Savio leads the way with the most assists with seven.
- Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Tip 3: Athletic Bilbao Over 0.5 Second Half Goals & Girona Over 0.5 Goals (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 2.00
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 5/10
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Prediction odds via bet365 as at 20:30, February 12th, 2024. Odds may now differ.
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Team News and Possible Lineups: Nothing To Report Here
Nico Williams is the only doubt for this encounter. He’s suffering from a muscle injury and hasn’t confirmed if he’ll be back for this match.
Athletic Bilbao’s squad is strong. They can rotate several players without losing their consistency. The usual core expects to start with a limited number of changes from their game against Almeria.
Girona’s David Lopez is back in training and could be part of the squad on Monday night. He’s been out since December. The rest of the team avoided knocks in the defeat to Real Madrid. Savio and Tsygankov should start on either flank, with Dovbyk leading the attack.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Paredes, Vivian, Berchiche, Vesga, Galarreta, Williams, Berenguer, Sancet; Guruzeta
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Couto, Garcia, Juanpe, Gutierrez, Martin, Herrera, Tsygankov, Savio, Portu; Dovbyk
The Predicted Athletic Bilbao vs Girona La Liga Standings by BETSiE
Our in-house predictive model, BETSiE, has had a go at predicting the La Liga standings ahead of the Athletic Bilbao vs Girona, currently 2nd vs 5th, fixture by utilising the underlying data from the 2023/24 season up until this point.
For more league-specific BETSiE content including standings, probabilities and predictions, visit her page here – it’s worth it.
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona Standings Prediction
| POSITION | CLUB | GAMES | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 38 | 26.9 | 7.2 | 4.0 | 77.9 | 30.3 | 47.5 | 87.7 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 38 | 24.0 | 7.8 | 6.2 | 79.4 | 47.3 | 32.1 | 79.8 |
| 3 | Girona | 38 | 23.8 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 79.1 | 47.8 | 31.3 | 79.5 |
| 4 | Atl. Madrid | 38 | 22.8 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 72.2 | 42.8 | 29.4 | 74.7 |
| 5 | Ath Bilbao | 38 | 21.1 | 9.3 | 7.5 | 69.1 | 37.1 | 32.0 | 72.7 |
| 6 | Sociedad | 38 | 15.4 | 13.9 | 8.7 | 52.1 | 37.4 | 14.7 | 60.2 |
| 7 | Betis | 38 | 13.6 | 14.7 | 9.7 | 46.5 | 45.9 | 0.6 | 55.5 |
| 8 | Valencia | 38 | 15.0 | 9.1 | 13.9 | 45.2 | 45.4 | -0.2 | 54.1 |
| 9 | Alaves | 38 | 13.2 | 8.8 | 16.0 | 43.8 | 48.1 | -4.3 | 48.5 |
| 10 | Getafe | 38 | 11.9 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 47.7 | 53.4 | -5.8 | 48.4 |
| 11 | Las Palmas | 38 | 12.6 | 8.9 | 16.5 | 36.5 | 42.3 | -5.9 | 46.7 |
| 12 | Vallecano | 38 | 10.6 | 12.9 | 14.5 | 38.3 | 48.4 | -10.1 | 44.6 |
| 13 | Osasuna | 38 | 11.9 | 8.8 | 17.3 | 43.8 | 57.3 | -13.5 | 44.5 |
| 14 | Celta | 38 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 17.5 | 45.2 | 55.9 | -10.7 | 40.6 |
| 15 | Villarreal | 38 | 10.5 | 9.2 | 18.4 | 54.1 | 73.7 | -19.6 | 40.6 |
| 16 | Mallorca | 38 | 8.0 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 35.7 | 48.8 | -13.1 | 39.1 |
| 17 | Sevilla | 38 | 8.5 | 11.6 | 18.0 | 46.8 | 60.9 | -14.2 | 37.0 |
| 18 | Cadiz | 38 | 5.2 | 13.7 | 19.1 | 27.2 | 55.6 | -28.4 | 29.2 |
| 19 | Granada | 38 | 6.2 | 9.6 | 22.3 | 40.2 | 69.8 | -29.7 | 28.1 |
| 20 | Almeria | 38 | 5.1 | 9.3 | 23.5 | 44.3 | 76.7 | -32.4 | 24.7 |
Match Stats: Two Fantastic Teams
- Girona have scored 52 goals this season, no side has scored more.
- Bilbao have scored the most goals at home this season with 31.
- The reverse fixture ended 1-1, both sides scored after the break.
- These sides have lost a combined 6 matches this term.
Athletic Bilbao Fixtures: Tough Scheduling With Copa Del Rey Final In Their Sights
- Vs Real Betis (A)
- Vs Atletico Madrid (Copa Del Rey) (H)
- Vs Barcelona (H)
- Vs Las Palmas (A)
- Vs Alaves (H)
Girona Fixtures: Maximum Points Attainable In All
- Vs Rayo Vallecano (H)
- Vs Mallorca (A)
- Vs Osasuna (H)
- Vs Getafe (A)
- Vs Betis (H)
SAFER GAMBLING
At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.
