A weekend is just like a Christmas present for the football lovers. Saturday brings a lot of football matches in Europe. In another Saturday evening encounter, Athletic Bilbao will come face to face against Real Sociedad. Overall it will be the 3rd league game of the season for both the sides. Moreover, it will be Bilbao’s 2nd home game of this campaign after the season opener against Barcelona at San Mames. Conversely, it will be the 3rd straight away games for Real Sociedad. Following their opener against Valencia at Mestalla stadium, they headed towards Mallorca to play their 2nd fixture. Now they are all set to travel to the Mames. The Royals will finally head back to home after the break of the international friendly to take on Atletico Madrid. The match between Bilbao and Sociedad has been scheduled to start on 8:45 pm local time (6:45 pm GMT).
Match Details:
- Participating Teams: Athletic Bilbao vs Real Socieda
- Competition: Spanish La Liga
- Match Week 03
- Date: 31st August 2019
- Time: 7:45 pm BST/ 6:45 pm GMT/ 8:45 pm Local
- Day: Saturday
- Venue: San Mames Stadium
- Location: Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
- Capacity: 53,289
- Surface: Grass
Athletic Bilbao Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Jokin Ezkieta, Iago Herrerin, Unai Simon.
- Defenders: Andony Lopez, Unai Nunez, Inigo Martinez, Yeray, Mikel San Jose, Yuri Berchiche, Inigo Lekue, Oscar de Marcos, Mikel Balenziaga.
- Midfielders: Cristian Ganea, Gaizka Larrazabal, Mikel Vesga, Inigo Cordoba, Benat, Dani Garcia, Ander Capa, Raul Garcia, Unai Lopez.
- Forwards: Aritz Aduriz, Ibai Gomez, Iker Muinain, Inaki Williams, Kenan Kodro, Gorka Guruzeta, Asier Villalibre, Peru Nolaskoain
Real Sociedad Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Geronimo Rulli, Alex Remiro, Miguel Angel Moya.
- Defenders: Joseba Zaldua, Modibo Sagnan, Diego Llorente, Hector Moreno, Aritz Elustondo, Gorosabel, Robin Le Normand, Aihen Munoz.
- Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Portu, Alexander Isak, Igor Zubeldia, Asier Illaramendi, Mikel Marino, Ruben Pardo, Adnan Januzaj, David Zurutuza, Raul Navas, Kevin Rodrigues, Luca Sangelli, Ander Guevara.
- Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal, Willian Jose, Ander Barrentxea.
Athletic Bilbao Last 5 Matches (Last Season) :
- 0-2 Defeat vs Sevilla
- 3-1 Win vs Celta de Vigo
- 0-1 Defeat vs Valladolid
- 1-1 Draw vs Alaves
- 1-0 Win vs Leganes
Real Sociedad Last 5 Matches (Last Season) :
- 0-2 Defeat vs Espanyol
- 3-1 Win vs Real Madrid
- 1-0 Win vs Alaves
- 2-1 Win vs Getafe
- 0-1 Defeat vs Villareal
Predicted Result: Athletic Bilbao 2 – 1 Real Sociedad
Match Preview: First of all, these two sides match each others in the terms of squad strength as well as recent history. For instance, Los Leones finished the last season on 8th position. Meanwhile, The Whites and Blues finished just a spot behind their counterparts. So there is a huge similarity in these two side’s recent performances.
But if you look more closely, Bilbao will seem just a little bit stronger than the Royals. Apart from this, the Lions will play in their familiar home condition, which will put them ahead. Aritz Aduriz will be the key player for the hosts. On the contrary, the visitors will rely mainly on Asier Illaramendi and Willian Jose. Overall, a competitive match is right on the card for the spectators. So don’t miss to watch this encounter.
Finally, My prediction for this game is a 2-1 victory for Athletic Bilbao.