Athletic Club Bilbao - Celta Vigo predictions and free betting tips [10/11/2023]

On Friday, the 10th of November, as part of Round 13 of the Spanish La Liga, Athletic Bilbao face off against Celta Vigo on home ground. Ernesto Valverde's side are currently sitting in the fifth spot in the league table, amassing 21 points, whilst Celta reside on the 18th rung with just seven points to their credit. If all goes well over the weekend, they have a shot at escaping the relegation zone.

Predicted Line-up

Athletic: Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Lekue; Vesga, Ruiz de Galarreta; I Williams, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta.
Celta: Guaita; Mingueza, Starfelt, Nunez, M Sanchez; Perez, Beltran, Sotelo, Bamba; Aspas, Larsen.

Stadium

The match will take place in Bilbao at the San Mamés stadium.

Athletic

As with previous seasons, Athletic Bilbao remain contenders in the race for the European cups, if not for the top four league spots. The Basques are in the top five of Spain's best teams going into Round 13, having clinched an important win against Villarreal (2:3) a week ago, just days after their Copa del Rey 1/32 finals appearance. Within the first half-hour of the match, ‘the Lions’ edged ahead with a three-goal lead, later conceding in the 86th and 87th minute, giving their rivals hope for a comeback.

Athletic has only lost one match at their home ground, the San Mamés, against Real Madrid in the opening round (0:2). Since then, 'the Striped' side clinched victory thrice and drew twice. Sporting an 8th position finish in the last two Spanish league seasons and fifth in the 2015-16 campaign, a return to the European circuit next autumn might very well be on the cards.

Celta

Celta Vigo find themselves in dire straights, ranking 18th in the overall tally with a meagre 7 points... Recent results for the Galicians have been nothing short of terrible: their last La Liga victory dates back to Matchday 4, i.e., 1st September, when they managed to overcome bottom-of-the-table Almeria with a 2:3 score. Since then, Rafa Benítez's charges have gone through eight matches without a win, including five losses and three draws.

Last weekend, the 'Crusaders' settled for a draw against Sevilla (1:1) in a home confrontation. Carl Starfelt put the sky-blues ahead in the 22nd minute, but Youssef En-Nesyri managed to level the score in the closing stages of the encounter. The guests have maintained their position in Spain's top division since the 2011-12 season, hence their main goal this campaign is to secure their stay with the elites. 

Head-to-Head Meetings

Celta clinched victory in two of their last three La Liga encounters against Athletic. However, during their previous clash at the San Mamés, they succumbed to a 2:1 defeat.

Prediction for the match Athletic vs. Celta

Apart from an early-season setback facing off against Real Madrid (0:2), San Mamés has proven to serve as an impregnable fortress for the Basques. While Athletic is gathering impressive momentum in the European cup spot race, Celta finds itself in a desperate situation, winless for the last eight games in a row. All in all, there is currently a disparity amongst the two teams. Hence, I'm inclined towards a convincing victory for the Basques.

Goal Total Prediction

Athletic has netted 21 goals in 12 rounds, which is rather unprecedented for Valverde's men. Considering the guests' defensive woes, it's safe to assume the 'Lions' will delight the home crowd with at least a two-goal fest on Friday.

Corner Prediction

As the in-form home team, Athletic are set to dominate in all key indicators, including corners (handicap -1.5).

Yellow Card Prediction

In their last three face-offs, both teams have racked up a total of 14 yellow cards. Thus, betting on a total of more than 3.5 bookings is a good shout.

Score Prediction

I'm predicting a 2:0 victory in favour of Athletic.