Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Real Sociedad beat La Liga leaders Barcelona 1-0 in their last fixture before the international break and they are aiming to secure another statement victory in Sunday's clash against rivals Athletic Bilbao.

Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad betting tips and predictions

Athletic Bilbao to win @ 5/4

Athletic Bilbao have drawn their last three matches in La Liga but they can pick up three points against Basque rivals Real Sociedad on Sunday.

The clubs appear to be well matched this season and Athletic started the latest round of fixtures in sixth place, two points ahead of La Real.

But home advantage has been a major factor in recent meetings between these clubs as the last five derbies have all been won by the home team.

Three of those home victories came in Bilbao, where Athletic beat their Basque neighbours 4-0 in February 2022, 2-0 in April 2023 and 2-1 in January 2024, when Alex Berenguer's first-half brace proved decisive.

Since August's 2-1 defeat at Barcelona, Athletic have lost only two of their 15 games in all competitions and both of those reverses, against Atletico Madrid and Girona, were by a one-goal margin.

They are a solid outfit and the team news for Sunday's contest also boosts their chances as goalkeeper Unai Simon, a star of Spain's Euros triumph in the summer, should be available after wrist surgery.

Athletic stalwart Inaki Williams, who has seven goal contributions in 11 league starts this term, is also expected to return, while Real Sociedad striker Orri Oskarsson is sidelined and key midfielder Martin Zubimendi faces a fitness test.

La Real have won three of their last four league games, including an impressive 1-0 home victory over Barcelona last time out.

However, they have scored only four goals in six away matches and that is a worrying statistic given that all six of those opponents kicked off the weekend below eighth-placed Real Sociedad in the table.  

Nico Williams to be first goalscorer @ 17/2

Winger Nico Williams was linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs after his dazzling displays for Spain at the Euros.

Williams opened the scoring in the final against England and, despite a lean start to the 2024/25 club season, he is a tempting price to break the deadlock in Sunday's derby.

Williams has scored only once in nine La Liga starts this season but he had three shots in the 1-1 draw at Valladolid last time out and averages 1.8 attempts per game – edging out his older brother Inaki (1.7) to top that list for Athletic.

The Spain international has also averaged 2.3 shots per game in the UEFA Europa League, scoring the only goal in last month's home win over Slavia Prague, and he could play a key role on derby day.    

Jon Aramburu to be booked @ 7/5

Real Sociedad right-back Jon Aramburu is likely to be up against Athletic left-winger Nico Williams and the Venezuelan youngster may well add to his tally of yellow cards.

Aramburu has had a long trip back from Chile, where he was booked in Venezuela's 4-2 World Cup qualifying defeat this week, and any lapses of concentration from the full-back could be exploited by the pacy Williams.

Aramburu has been cautioned four times in nine league starts this season and two of those cards came against champions Real Madrid and leaders Barcelona.

He was also booked in his last UEFA Europa League outing, a 2-1 win away to Viktoria Plzen, and can expect a difficult evening in Bilbao.

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Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad odds

Athletic Bilbao - 5/4
Draw - 2/1
Real Sociedad - 13/5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.