The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Europa League group stage between Besiktas (Turkey) and Athletic (Spain) will take place on January 22 at the Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul. Besiktas vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria)
Matches – 5 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 31;
Average yellow cards per match – 6.2;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 40%.
Predicted lineups for Besiktas vs. Athletic
Besiktas (4-2-3-1): Ersin Destanoglu – Emirhan Topcu, Tayyib Talha Sanuc, Baktiyor Zainutdinov, Jonas Svensson – Al Musrati, Cher Ndour – Onur Bulut, Rafa Silva, Gedson Fernandes – Semih Kilicsoy.
Athletic (4-2-3-1): Julen Agirrezabala – Andoni Gorosabel, Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Yeray Alvarez – Mikel Haurregui, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Inaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams – Gorka Guruzeta.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Besiktas
The club has lost their last two Europa League group stage matches, marking the second time this has happened in the current tournament. First, they suffered a surprising home defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv (1-3), followed by an away loss to Bodo/Glimt (1-2). Besiktas currently has only 6 points and sits in a disappointing 28th place in the standings. If Besiktas drops points again, their chances of reaching the playoffs will be significantly reduced.
Last week, the club appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as head coach, who had been out of work for over three years since leaving Manchester United.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Besiktas's last 8 Europa League matches.
- Both teams scored in 7 of Besiktas's last 9 matches in this tournament.
- In their last 16 Europa League matches, the club has only won 4 times in regular time (2 draws and 10 losses).
Athletic
The Basques will play their second consecutive Europa League match in Istanbul. In their previous tournament game, they defeated Fenerbahce 2-0. This was their fifth consecutive victory in the group stage, during which they conceded only one goal. The Spaniards also drew once – in the first round away against Roma (1-1). Ernesto Valverde's team is in second place in the standings, trailing Lazio due to tiebreakers. Notably, the club has already secured a playoff spot, and a win would guarantee them a place in the Europa League round of 16.
- Exactly two or three goals have been scored in 6 of Athletic's last 7 matches in this European competition.
- The team has a 14-match goal-scoring streak in the Europa League.
- The Spaniards have not lost in 9 of their last 10 away matches in this tournament (5 wins and 4 draws).
Besiktas vs. Athletic: Match Prediction
The Spaniards have a five-point cushion over the ninth-placed team. Thus, Athletic might only need one point from the remaining two rounds to advance to the Europa League round of 16. Additionally, they have a solid goal difference of 11:2. However, it's unlikely that Athletic will need to rely on tiebreakers, as they are set to play Viktoria Plzen at home in the final round, where they can aim for maximum points.
Therefore, I expect the Spaniards not to exert maximum effort in this match. They will likely focus on defending and hope for counterattacks. Besiktas is much more motivated, as a loss could mean missing out on the playoffs. The players will strive to impress their new coach and secure a crucial victory.
My prediction – Besiktas to win or draw
