Football
Football
Match Report
Gambling
News

Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao Preview: Tips, Odds and Predictions

SportsBoom previews Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao’s evening encounter on Saturday, 21 December. La Liga and sports betting enthusiasts should pay close attention to this match as it promises to be explosive and lucrative in the markets. Both teams have a lot to play for coming into this one and their performances thus far have been worthy of taking note. At the timing of writing, Bilbao sits comfortably in the top four Champions League spots and not far from first placed Barcelona, while Osasuna sits just below the Conference League a difference of a point. Check out the latest football betting offers to maximize your winnings on Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao clash.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy Modise

Last Updated: 2024-12-17

Chad Nagel

9 minutes read

Jesus Areso Blanco and Nico Williams

Jesus Areso Blanco and Nico Williams//Getty Images

Osasuna vs Athletic Bilbao Preview

In-form Athletic Bilbao will travel to El Sadar to face an opponent that is struggling for a win. Ernesto Valverde’s men have been doing exceptionally well recently, having managed to remain unbeaten since October at the time of writing against Girona.

Since then, they’ve won four and drawn one in La Liga, the most recent of their wins being four straight wins with the biggest scalp being a 2-1 win against Real Madrid. They’ve been solid at the back not conceding more than one goal since their 2-0 loss against Girona.

Osasuna, on the other hand, have not been doing well having not been able to conjure up a win in their last five games. Score draws have been all too familiar for the El Sadar team, with the most recent of them being 1-1 and 2-2 draws. Despite the results, at SportsBoom, we believe the team is grafting very well this season and if they keep up, a spot in one of Europe’s top competitions is within reach.

Our assessment of the game is also high stakes. Should Bilbao win, they will solidify their hold in the top four and possibly challenge for La Liga honours if their trajectory remains upward, and should there be an upset favouring the home team, they too will finish in very good positions if continue grafting away. A draw, on the other hand, is a big possibility and probably the best result possible for Vicente Moreno’s men, who last beat their opponents 2-0 on October 25, 2023. 

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Bilbao Firm Favourites

  1. Home 27/10 (3.70) – 27%

  2. Draw 43/20 (3.15) – 31.7%

  3. Away 117/100 (2.17) – 46.1%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change

Head-to-Head Record

The last five clashes between these two teams in La Liga don’t indicate a gulf in class but rather close matches between teams that are not far from each other in terms of quality and pound for pound action. Bilbao eclipse Osasuna in overall wins, with the other two games being stalemates.

Last 5 Meetings in La Liga

  1. 11/05/24 Athletic Bilbao 2 Osasuna 2

  2. 19/08/23 Osasuna 0 Athletic Bilbao 2

  3. 25/05/23 Osasuna 2 Athletic Bilbao 0

  4. 09/01/23 Athletic Bilbao 0 Osasuna 0

  5. 15/05/22 Athletic Bilbao 2 Osasuna 0

Osasuna Current Form in La Liga - DDDDL

A win is much needed for Osasuna having not managed to pick one since their 1-0 win at home against Valladolid and perhaps that result will serve as motivation for a swift turnaround which might just be difficult against a rampant Athletic Bilbao team that has title contender credentials this season.

Vicente Moreno’s side have played four straight draws, three of which were score draws of 1-1 and 2-2. As a coach, the goals scored are positives he can pick up and note that his team is at least able to score, but the downside is the ability to keep a lead.

In all three of their score draws, they lost the lead to their opponents who eventually equalised and forced draws out of the game. Against Villarreal, they were leading 2-0 in the first half before two late goals in the second half from their opponents saw them losing out on three points.

Similarly, so were they leading against Alaves and Sevilla when the opponents forced 1-1 and 2-2 draws respectively. If they get it together at the back, their form might possibly change and see them get that all important first win in a long time.

Bryan Zaragoza and Ante Budimir

Bryan Zaragoza and Ante Budimir//Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

  • Ante Budimir: Undoubtedly the best player currently in his team with ten goals in the league and third overall highest scorer after Barcelona’s Raphina as of writing, the Croatian striker is one such player to lookout for in this game. He is sure to get one goal if there’s a lapse of concentration from Bilbao’s backline. 
  • Aimar Oroz: The Spanish midfielder makes up the midfield trio in the 4-3-3 lineup and plays on the far-left of that setup. Oroz has featured seventeen times already in La Liga but has yet to make headway for his team with only one goal contribution which was an assist. He’s contribution for the team when defending has been good though as he’s able to give cover to the left-back. He will definitely be influential in this game. 
  • Ruben Garcia: In Bryan Zaragoza’s absence, Ruben Garcia has provided perfect cover and racked up minutes, goals and assists on the pitch. In their 2-2 draw with Alavez, coming off the bench, the veteran forward was able to give his team the lead in the 61st minute before the away team equalised seven minutes later.

Osasuna Team News

Moi Gomez has a minor thigh injury and is expected to be back soon, while Bryan Zaragoza is still out with his returned primed for February 2025.

Athletic Bilbao Current Form La Liga - DWWWW

Unbeaten in the last five games with thirteen points accumulated in that stretch, Bilbao are certainly the in-form team right now in Spain with Altetico Madrid. Their most recent result is a 1-1 draw away at Alaves in which their approach let them down. After scoring in the tenth minute through Unai Gomez, they set back and tried to defend their lead.

The four games preceding that were very impressive four straight wins, the majority of which were played at home. Their biggest win came against the defending champions Real Madrid in a thrilling 2-1 encounter at the Estadio San Mames.

In three of their four wins, Bilbao scored first and only in one of them did they have to mount a comeback from behind win where Oihan Sancet scored two goals in the second half to give his team a 2-1 victory away from home.

Key Players to Watch

  • Inaki Williams: Probably the most in-form player in La Liga right now, Inaki Williams has been a key cog in his team’s performances this season. The forward has chirped in with four goals and four assists and also scored crucial goals in the team’s most recent results, one of them coming in their 2-0 win against Fenerberhace in Europa League.
  • Oihan Sancet: The team’s top scorer currently, Oihan Sancet has seven goals and one assist in La Liga. On a good day, the Spanish forward can produce the much needed finishes if the Williams brothers are able to supply him with those balls in the eighteen area, and it’s for this reason we picked him as one of the key players to lookout for.
  • Julen Agirrezabala: Not much has been given to opponents in terms of goals conceded by Julen Agirrezabala, although he’s yet to walk away with a clean sheet in Spain’s top-flight this season. As the last line of defence, he has been solid, letting in only the occasional one goal. We believe he is yet to be really tested and has done well for the team and will continue as such in this fixture. 

Athletic Bilbao Team News

The Williams brothers had minor thigh injury concerns following their midweek European encounter but were able to make it back on time for the Alaves game and remain fit for this one. Barring Ander Herrera, who is expected to return on the 31st of December, Bilbao basically have a full complement squad.

Predicted Line-ups

  1. Osasuna: 4-3-3

    Herrera, Areso, catena, Boyomo, Cruz, Oroz, Ibanez, Moncayola, Bretones, Budimir, Garcia

  2. Athletic Bilbao: 4-2-3-1

    Agirrezabala, Berchiche, Paredes, Alvarez, Gorosabel, Ruiz de Galarreta, Pradoz Diaz, Williams, Sancet, Williams, Gomez

Suggested Bets

  1. Both Teams to Score: The likelihood of both teams scoring in this game is very possible judging by recent results. We reckon if one team scores first then the other will do so as well, especially so Osasuna who have more games where both teams scored under their belt. (49/50 with Betway), (26/25 with N1Bet).

  2. Over 2.5: Last season’s round of 35 match between these two teams was a 2-2 draw and other encounters preceding this one have just been one goal shy of being more than two goals. Osasuna have played three over 2.5 goals games in their last five and with Bilbao’s scoring form, three or more goals are very likely here. (127/100 with Betway), (27/20 with N1Bet).

  3. Multigoals – 1-4: There will be goals, not more than four though. This is a very good market to bet on as one goal would be enough to secure you a win on your slip. Be sure to give it some consideration. (21/100 with Betway). 

Value Bets

  1. 1st Half 1st Goal – Athletico Bilbao: Being the form team it is more likely that the away team will score an early goal in the first half against their opponents. In most of their wins this season, they were the first team to score and doing so in the first half. They are able to do so owing to their pacey front three that allows them to breakout quickly in the early stages of the game. (139/100 with N1Bet).

  2. Anytime Goalscorer – Inaki Williams: Williams has scored four goals so far and also contributed with four assists, therefore, his goals contribution for the team is very high and it’s for that reason, we believe he can score against a relatively leaky team at the back. (11/4 with Betway).

  3. Last Goal - Osasuna: We believe Osasuna will be chasing the game whatever the final result because they have proven to concede a lot of goals whilst failing to secure leads and in this game we doubt they will be in the lead. But if they do, Bilbao will come back and force them to chase the game. (3/2 with Betway).

Prediction: Athletic Bilbao Win/Draw and Over 2.5 Goals

Our prediction for this game is a Double Chance Win/Draw for Athletic Bilbao and and Over 2.5 goals result. We do not foresee Osasuna beating their visitors who are firing on song so far, the best they can force is a score draw which will give us our predicted over 2.5 goals. 

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy ModiseSports Writer

Jimmy is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a sports fanatic of several sporting disciplines which he is well versed with.