Football Bet of the Day: Brilliant Bilbao to extend Sevilla slump

The penultimate game of the first round of 2024 La Liga fixtures sees Athletic Bilbao host Sevilla.

Los Nervionenses have won just twice at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in the league this season, while Bilbao are unbeaten in their last three games on the road in La Liga.

Bilbao battled to a 1-0 victory over Las Palmas in their last game before Christmas, and the side from the Basque country, who sit fifth, could extend their gap over fierce rivals Real Sociedad beneath them in the table to six points with victory on Thursday evening.

Sevilla, meanwhile, suffered their eighth defeat of the season at Atletico Madrid in their final game of 2023, and last season’s Europa League winners now find themselves just three points above the relegation zone.

Thursday’s action has multiple punting avenues with potential, with the first FA Cup third round fixture between Crystal Palace and Everton taking centre stage in England.

There are also two further La Liga fixtures taking place, with Osasuna hosting Almeria in the earliest kick off, before Barcelona end the day's proceedings with their match at Las Palmas.

Our betting angle focuses on the early evening clash between Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao.

The Basque giants find themselves fifth in the league and should stay within touching distance of the leading pack with victory over a Sevilla side that has largely disappointed throughout the campaign.

Los Nervionenses are used to battling for Champions League and Europa League positions in the latter stages of the season, but underwhelming performances have left the side from southern Spain down in 16th this term, just three points above the bottom three, and running the risk of a first relegation from the Spanish top flight since 2001.

Sevilla have struggled for creativity in front of goal this season, with Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri the only player at the club to score more than twice in the league.

Quique Sanchez Flores’ side have lost four of their last five in all competitions, and have not picked up three points at home since a 5-1 thrashing of bottom club Almeria in September.

In contrast, Bilbao have been in scintillating form, with Ernesto Valverde’s men unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions, winning seven.

They have been a tremendously difficult side to defeat this season, with only Real Betis, Girona and heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid losing less La Liga games than Bilbao’s three.

A mixture of a sturdy defence that has conceded just 19 league goals, as well as both Inaki Williams and Gorka Guruzeta sharing the goalscoring torch with eight goals apiece, has contributed to this fine form, with Bilbao chasing a place in Europe for the first time since the 2017/2018 season.

Athletic Bilbao are 11/8 to increase their unbeaten streak to 11 with victory over Sevilla on Thursday evening, and this looks like a price worth taking.

Check out the rest of our Football Bets of the Day here.