- Espanyol have won just six of their 17 home LaLiga matches this season, drawing four and losing seven.
- Athletic Bilbao have won only four of their 17 away LaLiga matches this campaign.
- RCD Espanyol have failed to win any of their last five LaLiga games, drawing one and losing four.
Pressure on Espanyol for survival
Espanyol have been on a poor run of form recently and will need to improve fast if they are to maintain their place in the top flight of Spanish soccer. Manolo Gonzalez’s men have suffered consecutive defeats ahead of this game, seeing out a 0-2 home defeat to Real Madrid and then losing 2-1 away to a resurgent Sevilla last weekend.
Espanyol are still in a strong position in the LaLiga standings, sitting 13th with 39 points from 35 games, compared to Athletic Bilbao in eighth with 44 points from 34. They are under much more pressure for survival, however, and will know they need to start picking up points if they are to avoid the drop.
Espanyol do have an excellent recent record against Athletic Bilbao, beating the Basque outfit 2-1 in their last clash four months ago, but the last one was away from home. Wednesday’s hosts have won none of their last two home games, while they have managed just 18 goals in 17 home LaLiga outings, so it’s difficult to see them outscoring Bilbao in this RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao prediction.
Bilbao have the edge
Athletic Bilbao’s form has been mixed, winning two and losing three of their last five games. They did produce their best attacking performance of Ernesto Valverde’s tenure, however, when they won 4-2 at Deportivo Alaves recently, while they did a good job of pressing Atletico Madrid in a 3-2 defeat.
According to our RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao prediction, Valverde’s side are high-pressing and fast-paced, much more of a high-velocity passing side than Espanyol, who tend to play a slower, more structured brand of soccer. The visitors will look to disrupt Espanyol’s build-up and exploit turnovers with pace and width.
Bilbao have scored an average of 1.12 goals per game in LaLiga away from home this season, notching 19 in total. This should be enough to see them off an Espanyol side who can only hope to keep it competitive in midfield and hope for a moment of brilliance up top.
For those looking for RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao betting tips, backing the visitors may offer value given their recent away performances.
Basques can bag the points
Bilbao are more likely to win this game because they carry the goal threat to make the difference. They have 9-goal Gorka Guruzeta in form with nine goals in 31 LaLiga games, while he has scored three in his last five. Opposite number Kike Garcia is Espanyol’s top scorer with six in 33, so Bilbao will be a threat on the break all game.
The odds for an away win are pretty attractive at 2.46, while ‘Over 2.5 goals’ at 2.11 and ‘Both teams to score - Yes’ at 1.77 look excellent bets, given Espanyol’s poor record at home and Bilbao’s need to push for a European spot.
This RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao preview highlights just how crucial this midweek clash is for both teams, and based on the latest RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao prediction, Bilbao could edge this encounter.
