Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca
Spanish La Liga
Date: 15 August 2022, Monday
Kick-off at 16:30 UK / 17:30 CET
Venue: San Mames Barria (Bilbao).
Athletic Bilbao start the new season on Monday with the home fixture against Mallorca. They are big favorites by the bookmakers but head coach Ernesto Valverde is worried ahead of the tie knowing that Mallorca are anything but a naïve opposition.
Indeed, Mallorca have had a decent pre-season run in which they were very tough to break down.
The team led by famous Mexican manager Javier Aguirre went through the whole pre-season schedule unbeaten, winning three and drawing two of five strong exhibitions.
Aguirre can be thrilled with how his team looked defensively in the pre-season. They conceded only a single goal in five matches against the likes of Wieczysta Krakow, Genoa, Sporting Gijon, Napoli, and Ibiza.
The 1-1 draw against Italian Serie A giants Napoli proved Mallorca’s strength which is why we are not quite keen on backing Bilbao to win at the odds as low as 1.57 here.
Bilbao have also grown in form and confidence as the pre-season went. They are now unbeaten in three straight outings, including the wins over Mirandes and Real Sociedad and a draw to Alaves.
Bilbao will fancy their chances here knowing they had a strong home record in the previous term of La Liga, securing 10 wins, 4 draws, and 5 defeats in 19 league outings at San Mames Barria last time out.
Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca Head-to-head
- Athletic Bilbao will also rely on the home record in the head to head clashes against Mallorca.
- The Basques won 13, drew 3, and lost 4 of the previous 20 home outings against Mallorca.
- Interestingly, the Over 2.5 goals FT & Both Teams To Score bet has landed in three of the previous five H2H matches between these two rivals.
Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca Prediction
Both Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca have been stern defensively in the pre-season and we expect both outfits to struggle offensively when they come face to face on Monday afternoon.
This is why the best value can be found with the Under 2.5 goals FT pick at the odds of 1.72. The braver tipsters can also try with the draw at the odds of 3.60.
Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca Betting Tips
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Under 2.5 goals FT @ 1.72 (8/11)
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Draw @ 3.60 (13/5) odd.
