Sevilla vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips & Predictions

Sevilla put their troubles on the road behind them in the 1st Leg to claim one of their most impressive wins of the season by winning 2-1 at San Mames. Making home advantage count was always going to be huge in this tie with both sides very good on their own patch so Sevilla’s ability to win away has put them in a very strong position going into this week’s return. It was a cracking game played at a tempo you wouldn’t associate with 2 sides from La Liga and Sevilla were very good in the 2nd half off replying to Aritz Aduriz’s header with goals from Kolodziejczak and Iborra.

They were beaten at the weekend though losing 2-1 at Valencia in La Liga but they are most likely going to prioritise the cups now. They are in 7th place in La Liga, which will get them into Europe and with a 7 point advantage on Malaga below them can afford a few slip-ups. Their love affair with this competition, which they have already won more times than anyone else could be set to continue and it appears to be their only route into the Champions League.

The same is true for Athletic who rested a few players including Aduriz and Benat as they won 1-0 against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. They are not in great form though and had lost 3 of their 4 matches prior to that although they are still a dangerous side on their day with the pace and energy of Inaki Williams, who netted the winner against Rayo, the perfect complement for the predatory Aduriz who is more than capable of firing the Basques back into this tie should Sevilla gift him any openings.

Sevilla’s fearsome home record though suggests they are most likely going to finish the job here. They had won 17 home games in a row prior to their defeat to Real Sociedad in their last outing at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. They have  also won their last 11 home games in this competition and were 2-0 winners when Athletic visited in January. Therefore surely there is value to be found in backing Sevilla to win at 10/11.