Athletic Bilbao will be bidding to make it successive victories in La Liga when they continue their campaign with a home fixture against Osasuna on Sunday evening.
Ernesto Valverde‘s side are fourth in the La Liga table, eight points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal, while Osasuna sit 14th, only six points above the relegation zone heading towards the final straight.
Match preview
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Athletic have had an excellent season in Spain’s top flight, boasting a record of 14 wins, 10 draws and four defeats from 28 matches to collect 52 points, which has left them fourth in the table, eight points above fifth-placed Villarreal.
The Lions are in an excellent position when it comes to securing Champions League football for next term, while they are regarded among the favourites to triumph in this season’s Europa League, with the Basque outfit preparing to tackle Rangers in the quarter-finals.
Valverde’s side were 1-0 winners over Sevilla before the March international break, and their away form this season has been strong, collecting 23 points from their 14 matches on their travels.
Athletic have excelled at home, meanwhile, picking up 29 points from 14 matches, suffering only one defeat in the process, and they will be looking to record a ninth league success of the season at San Mames this weekend.
The Lions finished fifth in Spain’s top flight last season, and they have not been in the top four since 2013-14, so it would be an impressive achievement to secure a top-four finish this term.
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Osasuna, meanwhile, returned to action on Thursday evening, playing their rearranged fixture against Barcelona, and a tough night saw them suffer a 3-0 defeat to the division leaders.
Vicente Moreno‘s side also lost 2-1 at home to Getafe before the international break, and they have not managed to triumph in La Liga since the start of February – beating Real Sociedad 2-1 in front of their own supporters.
Los Rojillos have not finished lower than 11th in La Liga since being relegated at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, but they are currently in 14th spot in the division, only six points above the relegation zone.
That said, Moreno’s team are only three points off 10th-placed Sevilla, so the picture could change quickly, but this will be the second of two very difficult away matches in quick succession.
Osasuna actually beat Athletic 3-2 at San Mames earlier this year in the Copa del Rey, but it was 2-1 to Valverde’s side when the two teams locked horns for the reverse league fixture back in December.
Team News
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Athletic have four fitness doubts for Sunday’s contest, with Gorka Guruzeta, Aitor Paredes, Oihan Sancet and Dani Vivian potentially all unavailable for selection against Osasuna.
Nico Williams started on the bench against Sevilla before the March international break, but the Spain star will be back in the XI here, while there is also expected to be a recall for Mikel Jauregizar in the middle of midfield.
Guruzeta, if he is available, would be the favourite to lead the line, with Alex Berenguer on standby to feature in that position.
As for Osasuna, Lucas Torro is back after missing the clash with Barcelona through suspension, while the visitors are also hopeful that Bryan Zaragoza will also be able to return to the XI.
Leading goalscorer Ante Budimir surprisingly started on the bench against the division leaders, but he will be back in the side here, while there could also be a recall for Ruben Garcia in an advanced area.
It could be an all-new front three on Sunday if Zaragoza is declared fit, with Raul Garcia, Aimar Oroz, Iker Munoz and Jose Arnaiz all potentially dropping out of the side for this contest.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; Gorosabel, U Nunez, Yeray, Lekue; Jauregizar, Vesga; I Williams, U Gomez, N Williams; Guruzeta
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Catena, Herrando, Cruz; Torro, Moncayola, Ibanez; Ruben Garcia, Budimir, Zaragoza
We say: Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Osasuna
Osasuna are a lot better than they have shown in recent weeks, but it is very difficult to back them to pick up a positive result against a strong Athletic side this weekend; in truth, we are expecting a routine home success at San Mames.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
