Schalke 04 vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions, Betting Tips, & Match Preview

Hosts Schalke 04 have been explosive in their eight pre-season friendly matches so far this summer, clearly aiming to make amends on their disappointing 2015/2016 campaign going forward. While winger Breel Embolo’s Schalke 04 debut may have ended in defeat, the Swiss super talent shouldn’t be phased. Club friendly fixtures, such as Schalke’s 4-2 defeat to Super League side FC Luzern, are designed to iron out any kinks, which is exactly what Schalke have managed in the weeks that followed. Schalke come into this off the back of three consecutive wins, with a 2-1 win and 3-1 win against Serie A sides Bologna and Fiorentina most recently.

Athletic Bilbao finished 5th in La Liga last season, just 2 points behind Villarreal and 4th placed UEFA Champions League playoff round qualification. As a result, their summer preparations, like Schalke’s, focus towards the UEFA Europa League alongside another season in the top flight. For the 2016/2017 campaign Athletic Bilbao head straight into the group stages, an improvement on the qualifying rounds they would have been playing 12 months earlier – the fixtures to which have not yet been set. Most notable for Bilbao last year, however, was managing to win their first piece of silverware since the early 1980’s – an aggregate win of 5-1 against Barcelona was enough to take the Spanish Super Cup back to Basque.

Schalke 04 have had the better pre-season when comparing the two sides, winning six, drawing one and losing one. Athletic Bilbao managed a 1-0 win in Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, but have otherwise seemed calm and focused with four draws and one defeat from their other five. With the competitive season fast approaching, both sides will be out to make sure everything is functioning as it should be and that, ultimately, as few mistakes as possible are made. Looking at relative squad strengths, Schalke and Bilbao also seem pretty equal on paper. Excluding the transfer of Leroy Sane to Manchester City, who Schalke quickly replaced with winger Breel Embolo from FC Basel, both sides are largely unchanged since their 5th placed finishes last season. With most of Athletic Bilbao’s pre-seasons being low scoring draws, and five of their six being under 2.5 goals scored, we find good value in a draw or under 2.5 goals here.

Hence, under 2.5 goals at 1/1 and draw 1-1 at 11/2 with bet365 are our choice bets for this match.