Beşiktaş vs Athletic prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – January 22, 2025
One of the matches of the 7th round of the general stage of the Europa League will take place on Wednesday in Istanbul, where local Beşiktaş will host Athletic Bilbao. I suggest betting on the outcome of this match with good chances of success.
Match preview
Beşiktaş continues to struggle in the current Europa League campaign. The team has suffered two consecutive defeats in the group stage, repeating an unpleasant streak that already occurred in this tournament. First, the Istanbul side unexpectedly lost 1-3 at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv, and then suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat away to Bodø/Glimt. Currently, the Turkish club has only 6 points, placing them in a modest 28th position in the standings.
The situation is becoming critical: any further loss of points will almost nullify Beşiktaş's chances of advancing to the playoffs. However, fans have reason to hope – last week, Ole Gunnar Solskjær took over as head coach. Over the weekend, Beşiktaş played a goalless draw at home against Samsunspor in the Super Lig. The team is in 6th place in the league standings, trailing the leader by 20 points.
The Basques continue to perform confidently in the Europa League and will play their second consecutive tournament match in Istanbul. In their previous game, they managed to defeat Fenerbahçe with a convincing 2-0 scoreline. This victory was their fifth in a row in the group stage, during which they conceded just one goal. The only draw came in the opening round when the Spaniards shared points with Roma (1-1) on the road.
Ernesto Valverde's team is firmly in second place in the table, trailing Lazio for the top spot only on goal difference. Qualification for the Europa League playoffs is already secured, but a win in the upcoming match will guarantee the Basques a direct ticket to the Round of 16. Athletic is also performing well in La Liga, where they continue to hold 4th place after a 2-1 away win over Celta.
Probable lineups
- Beşiktaş: Ersin Destanoğlu – Emirhan Topçu, Tayyip Talha Sanuç, Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov, Jonas Svensson – Al Musrati, Şer N'Dur – Onur Bulut, Rafa Silva, Gedson Fernandes – Semih Kılıçsoy.
- Athletic: Julen Agirrezabala – Andoni Gorosabel, Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Yeray Álvarez – Mikel Haurregui, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams – Gorka Guruzeta.
Match facts and head-to-head
- The "Both teams to score" bet hit in three of Athletic's last five matches.
- The "Total over 2.5" bet won in three of the last five games.
- The "Both teams to score" bet hit in three of Beşiktaş's last five matches.
Prediction
Bookmakers favor the visitors in this match, offering odds of 1.93 for an Athletic win. We believe the "Total under 3.0" bet at odds of 1.67 could succeed in this encounter.
