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The 2022-23 edition of La Liga is back in action with another round of matches this weekend as Espanyol lock horns with Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Bilbao side in an important encounter at the Estadio Cornella El Prat on Saturday.
Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao Preview
Espanyol are currently in 18th place in the La Liga standings and have not been at their best this season. The Catalan outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Girona last week and will need to bounce back in this fixture.
Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, are in seventh place in the league table at the moment and have been fairly impressive this season. The Basque giants were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Getafe in their previous league game and will need to take it up a notch this weekend.
Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Espanyol have a good recent record against Athletic Bilbao and have won 19 of the last 50 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Athletic Bilbao's 14 victories.
- Espanyol are unbeaten in their last 23 home La Liga games against Athletic Bilbao in a run that stretches back to 1988 - their best such run against a single opponent in the top flight.
- Athletic Bilbao have lost only one of their last six matches against Espanyol in La Liga and have won two of these games - only one victory fewer than they managed in the 16 such games preceding this run.
- Espanyol won the reverse fixture at the San Mames by a 1-0 margin last year and could complete a league double over Athletic Bilbao for the first time since their 2013-14 campaign.
- Espanyol have suffered defeat in their last eight matches in La Liga - their longest such run in the competition since July 2020.
Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction
Athletic Bilbao have an impressive squad in their ranks but are in the midst of a slight slump at the moment. The likes of Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain are seasoned campaigners and will need to bring their experience to the fore this weekend.
Espanyol can pack a punch on their day and are currently fighting an intense battle to avoid relegation. Athletic Bilbao are the better team at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Espanyol 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Athletic Bilbao
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Athletic Bilbao to score first - Yes
Tip 4: Inaki Williams to score - Yes
