Comments and predictions for Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao: Home team in danger
The match between Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao in La Liga takes place at 8:00 p.m. on February 16. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao team information
Espanyol will still be without Jose Gragera due to a thigh problem, while Brian Olivan, Fernando Pacheco and Pol Lozano are doubts due to muscle injuries.
However, Carlos Romero will return to the starting line-up after serving his suspension, and the Spaniard is expected to play at left-back.
Javi Puado has been in fine form for the Catalan club this season, scoring eight goals. The 26-year-old attacker is likely to continue to feature in attack.
For Athletic Bilbao, Alvaro Djalo will be unable to play due to an ankle injury, while Nico Williams and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta are racing against time to recover and need to undergo final fitness tests.
After an impressive hat-trick against Girona, Sancet will continue to play as number 10. In case Nico Williams is not fit to play, Alex Berenguer will likely take the left-wing position.
Mikel Jauregizar has impressed with his performances this season – Real Madrid are reportedly keeping an eye on him – and the 21-year-old will continue to feature in midfield.
Latest predicted lineup for Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao
Espanyol:
J Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Puado, Aguado, Kral, Roca; Fernandez, Exposito
Athletic Bilbao:
Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Boiro; Jauregizar, Prados; I Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Guruzeta
Latest football commentary on Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao
Before their trip to Real Sociedad last weekend, Espanyol had gone four games without a defeat in La Liga. However, they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to the Basque side, with the decisive goal coming in the 84th minute.
Despite this result, the recent performance still brings positive signals for coach Manolo Gonzalez's team. The recent improvement in form has helped them temporarily escape the relegation zone, currently standing in 16th place in the rankings.
However, Espanyol are only 1 point above the "red light" group, and the relegation battle is extremely fierce. The gap between 19th-placed Alaves and Las Palmas, who are in 15th place, is only 2 points.
"Los Periquitos" are facing a series of 3 consecutive defeats against Athletic Bilbao, including a 1-4 defeat in the first leg of this season.
In fact, Espanyol have not beaten Athletic at home in La Liga since November 2018. This time, they will host an opponent who has maintained an unbeaten run in the league since the beginning of October.
Athletic Bilbao's Copa del Rey campaign came to a disappointing end when they lost to Osasuna last month, but Los Leones are still fighting on two fronts this season, having already secured qualification for the Europa League knockout stages.
Under the guidance of coach Ernesto Valverde, Athletic are having an impressive season with 12 wins, 8 draws and only 3 losses after 23 rounds. This result has brought them 44 points and helped them firmly hold the fourth position in the rankings.
Athletic are currently four points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal and just six points behind leaders Real Madrid. Given their current form, they could well be considered a potential title contender this season.
The Basque side have not finished in the top four since the 2013-14 campaign. In four of the last five campaigns, they have finished 11th, 10th and twice finished eighth, showing a remarkable improvement in recent times.
Athletic go into this game full of confidence following a 3-0 home win over Girona, in which Oihan Sancet scored a hat-trick, and they have picked up 19 points from 11 away games this season, which is not a bad return.
Latest score prediction for Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbaoas follows:
- Sportsmole:Espanyol 0-1 Athletic Bilbao
- WhoScore:Espanyol 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
- Our newspaper predicts:Espanyol 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
When and where to watch Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao live?
To watch the live match between Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao in La Liga taking place at 8:00 p.m. on February 16, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.
