Betis vs Athletic Prediction 2 February 2025

🔊 Can the "Basques" secure an away victory against the "Beticos" for the first time since 2017? One of the main highlights of the 22nd round in the Spanish La Liga is the match between Betis and Athletic. This time, the teams will face off at the Seville arena "Benito Villamarín," which has a capacity of 60,000 seats. The main referee for the match has already been announced: it will be Juan Munuera. Bookmakers predict an equal game, as indicated by the odds: a win for the "green-and-whites" - 2.95, a victory for the "lions" - 2.45. Our editorial team couldn't ignore this match and offers you a detailed analysis of each side.

📊 H2H

The last victory for Athletic at "Benito Villamarín" dates back to the 2017/18 season. Back then, the "lions" secured a "clean" victory over the "green-and-whites" - 2:0. In the first round of the current championship, the "Basques" couldn't celebrate success at "San Mamés" either - 1:1. At that time, Pablo Fornals' goal was answered by Alejandro Berenguer with a scoring strike.

🟢 BETIS

In the last round of the Spanish La Liga, the "Beticos" finally secured a crucial victory for themselves - against Mallorca (1:0). An obvious lack of attacking players, as well as an overly pronounced passivity in ball control, are the main reasons for their relatively low scoring rate - about 1.09 goals per game. In recent rounds, the main right winger for the Seville team has been 19-year-old teenager Jesús Rodríguez, for whom this season is his debut in adult football. Largely due to an injury epidemic, Betis turned to Manchester United to conclude a loan agreement for Brazilian Antony. Most likely, we will witness the debut of the 24-year-old forward next Sunday. Manuel Pellegrini's tactical preferences are quite clear: using a 4-2-3-1 formation, where the "number ten" acts as a withdrawn forward. The sole striker, Vitor Roque, must be constantly supplied with balls through effective actions from Isco from deep, as well as wing dribbling. Among those who will surely not be able to help the "Heliopolitans" in the upcoming round are Héctor Bellerín, William Carvalho, Aitor Ruibal, and Youssouf Sabaly.

🔴 ATHLETIC

During the break between national championship duties, Athletic secured their place in the Europa League Round of 16. This became possible after a recent victory for the "Basques" over Viktoria Plzeň (3:1). In fact, Ernesto Valverde's charges managed to score more than twice in a game for the first time in two months. During the winter transfer window, Athletic was not very active, only releasing Ander Herrera as a free agent (to Boca Juniors). It cannot be said that Ernesto Valverde lacks anyone to implement his tactical ideas. The Spanish specialist has introduced fairly effective football to the Bilbao team, based on slow ball progression and characterized by a high degree of pragmatism. Athletic uses a classic 4-2-3-1 formation with two defensive-minded central midfielders. They allow the "Basques" to switch to a 4-2-4 formation in attacking phases against obvious outsiders. Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta remains in the "red-and-white" infirmary.

⚽️ GOAL PREDICTION

Given the large number of injured players, Betis is literally forced to choose a more defensive game plan. Ernesto Valverde's charges are traditionally characterized by systematic football, individually tailored to each opponent. On average per match, the "Beticos" concede 1.2 goals, while the "Basques" only 0.9. Our editorial team does not expect a spectacular clash this coming weekend. We settle on total under 2.5 goals.

🚩 CORNER PREDICTION

The compact defense from both clubs contributes to a minimal number of corners conceded at their own goals. The teams demonstrate similar numerical indicators in this component - about 3.9 per game. Let's also note that in 4 out of the last 5 head-to-head meetings, no more than 10 corner kicks were recorded. It seems that from the above information, a quite rational bet forms - total corners under 9.5.

📝 MATCH PREDICTION

Let's note that in 4 out of the last 5 head-to-head matches between these teams at "Benito Villamarín," there were no more than two goals scored. This trend is especially important in the context of the current form of both teams and their tactical preferences. Our editorial team believes that the "green-and-whites" will once again try to close down and prevent their opponent from controlling free spaces. This approach allowed the "Heliopolitans" to nullify Mallorca's attacking potential in the last round. We allow for a goalless draw after 90 minutes. The key choice is total under 2.5 goals.