Ath Bilbao – Alaves Prediction & Preview and Betting Tips (07.01.2018)

Athletic Club and Deportivo Alavés face in San Mamés Barria, in a match for the 18th round of the First Division. The history of recent direct confrontations is favorable to the visiting team, which records 1 win and 2 draws in the last 3 matches. The last direct confrontation between these two teams, on 12-08-2017, ended with a draw by (2-2). In this game the home factor may be decisive, since Deportivo Alavés presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.

Athletic Club:

After 5 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses, the home team is currently in the 12th position, with 21 points won. In the last match, they have won in an away match against Real Betis by (0-2), after in the previous match they have tied (0-0) at home, against Real Sociedad. This is a team that usually maintains its competitive levels in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses in away matches, with 22 goals scored and 22 conceded; against 6 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses at their stadium, with 15 goals scored and 11 suffered. For the championship, Athletic Club won 10 points out of 24 possible, after 2 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses in the last 8 home matches.

For this competition, they have not won any of the last 4 home matches. In the matches played in their stadium there are some more frequent results: at the end of the first 45 ‘0-0 (4 out of 8 matches) and at the end of the match 0-0 (3 out of 8 matches). In their home matches for this competition there is a tendency for few goals, since 7 of the last 8 matches have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 17 matches in this competition, he never got the comeback in the 7 games in which he suffered the first goal.

Athletic Bilbao has in this exhibition the opportunity to return to win at home by the Spanish league and thus reach its seventh game in a row without losing in the competition. The local club is motivated by another victory away from their fans, this time against Betis, in a game in which they managed to finish more times and with greater efficiency, leaving the field with three points. Although the offensive sector has played a good football in this confrontation, throughout the competition the attack is leaving much to be desired, so much so that it is among the seven weakest. Playing in their domains, he conquered less than half of the points he played so far and in that condition has the worst attack of all. The 4-2-3-1 should be the tactical formation adopted in this duel by the coach, which should not have large absences.

Alavés:

The away team is currently in the 17 th position of the league, with 15 points won, after 5 wins and 12 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Atlético Madrid, by (1-0). In the last match, they won at home against Málaga by (1-0). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 4 draws and 7 losses in away matches, with 15 goals scored and 20 conceded; against 8 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses at their stadium, with 18 goals scored and 14 conceded. In the last match they played, for the Copa del Rey, they beat Formentera away by (1-3). In the last 8 away matches for the championship, Deportivo Alavés has 2 wins and 6 losses, so they have won 6 points out of 24 possible. In the matches played outside their stadium there are some more frequent results: at the end of the first 45 ‘1-0 (4 in 9 matches) and at the end of the match 1-0 (4 in 9 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their away matches for this competition there is a tendency for few goals, since in 6 of the last 8 they played there were less than 3 goals. This is a team that marks few times is first and only managed to open the scoring in 4 of its last 17 games for the First Division, of these 4 came to rest in advantage in 3 and won at the end of the 90 ‘in all. In 17 matches in this competition, they have only won 1 of the 13 matches they won in the first goal. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 11 away matches for all competitions: he scored 6 of his 10 goals between minutes (76’-90 ‘).

The Alavés is giving signs of recovery, after suffering countless defeats in the first days of the Spanish championship, and now has the opportunity to win his second consecutive victory in the competition. In his last match, he played a very balanced game against Málaga, but he had an excellent defensive performance and the attack showed opportunism, achieving the victory by the minimum score. This confirms what the team has been presenting throughout the competition, since it currently has one of the four worst attacks, which did not score in eight games. One of the weaknesses of the club has been the possession of the ball, an issue in which it has the worst average of the championship. The coach is often altering the tactical system of the team, but must keep Pedraza as a reference in the offensive sector.