The Matchday 23 La Liga clash between Athletic Club and Levante will take place on 8 February at San Mames in Bilbao. Athletic Club vs Levante: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Athletic Club
On the first day of the month, Athletic Club snatched a draw right at the death in a home derby against Real Sociedad (1:1). On the one hand, Athletic Club deserve praise for their character, but the team’s winless run in La Liga has grown even longer and has now reached six matches (two draws, four defeats). The Basque side have not had a run like that in this competition since October–December 2021. Despite all the problems, the club are still not dropping out of mid-table, but the gap to the relegation zone is now only three points. Another couple of poor results could seriously worsen Athletic Club’s situation.
- Both teams have scored in the Basque side’s last five matches in the Spanish league.
- At least two goals have been scored in six consecutive matches for the club in this competition.
- Athletic Club have conceded in seven of their last nine home games in La Liga.
Potential Athletic Club Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Unai Simon – Jesus Areso, Aitor Paredes, Adama Boiro, Yuri Berchiche – Mikel Jauregizar, Alejandro Rego – Nico Williams, Unai Gomez, Alex Berenguer – Gorka Guruzeta.
Due to injuries, defender Unai Egiluz, midfielders Oihan Sancet and Benat Prados, as well as forward Maroan Sannadi will all miss out.
Levante
The team are locked in a desperate fight for survival, and we have seen clear progress lately. For example, a week ago Levante managed to hold Atletico Madrid to a draw (0:0). That result meant the Valencian side picked up at least a point in five of their last six league matches (two wins, three draws), with the club only losing away to Real Madrid in that spell (0:2). However, most of their rivals are also stepping up and improving their results, so Levante are still five points adrift of the safety of 17th place. It is important to remember, though, that the team still have a game in hand.
- A maximum of two goals have been scored in seven of the club’s last nine La Liga matches.
- The Valencian side’s uncompromising away run in this competition has stretched to five matches (one win, four defeats).
- Levante have scored more than one goal in just two of their last 13 La Liga games.
Potential Levante Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Mathew Ryan – Jeremy Toljan, Adri, Alan Matturro, Matias Moreno – Ugo Raghouber, Pablo Martinez – Kareem Tunde, Carlos Alvarez Rivera, Iker Losada – Ivan Romero.
Midfielder Roger Brugue and defender Victor Garcia are unavailable due to injury. The involvement of defenders Matias Moreno and Diego Pampin is in doubt.
Athletic Club vs Levante: Match Prediction
Athletic Club are holding on in mid-table, but on current form they arguably deserve to be significantly lower. For the first time in four years, the team have gone six La Liga matches without a win, with four of those six games ending in defeat. It is also worth noting that, since the start of the current season, the club have registered just seven wins from 22 La Liga matchdays, and even in their better performances it has usually been by the finest of margins.
Over the last six months, Athletic Club have only beaten an opponent by a margin of two goals or more once. It is symbolic that the team they beat in that manner was Levante, but at the time the visitors were going through a serious crisis under a different coach. Now the Valencian side have improved and have lost only one of their last six league matches. In that time, the club failed to pick up any points only away at Real Madrid. Athletic Club are among the awkward opponents for Levante, but across the last 12 head-to-head meetings in La Liga, there have been only three occasions when Levante have lost by more than one goal.
Most likely, the new match in Bilbao will also be a tight contest.
Prediction: Levante (+1.5)
* For each team, the starting XI from their previous match in this competition is listed.
