The Basque side leaves slightly as favorite due to the field factor and especially because it is usually vertical midfield forward. For that reason and even though it was irregular in the new San Mamés during the last season, we believe that it has what it takes to manage the ball and win the match even if it’s one goal difference. Remember that the “pepineros” are combative and competitive between the lines, but could be affected by the departure of coach Asier Garitano. He paints to be a fought and intense duel in the midfield, but favorable to the “Lions” for his greater individual hierarchy.
Athletic Bilbao:
After completing a lousy season in the Santander League 2017-2018, the Basque side will seek to improve its position in the table and fight to qualify for a European tournament. To achieve this goal, the leadership moved quickly and signed coach Eduardo Berizzo. The aim of the Argentine is to return to the team his winning mystic and his vertical play of midfield forward. It will be necessary to see if his bielsista philosophy works in this opportunity. In terms of friendlies, the “Lions” have played many in recent weeks: Victory 0-3 against Amorebieta, win 0-5 against Barakaldo, defeat 2-3 against Den Haag, fall 1-3 against Fulham, draw 1- 1 against Duisburg, 0-1 victory against Real Sociedad, 0-0 draw against Fiorentina, 0-0 equality against Mainz, 2-0 defeat against Hannover and 0-1 victory against Augsburg.
On the other hand, do not forget that Athletic Bilbao needs to improve their performance at home, which was very poor in the past Santander League. Just review your numbers in the new San Mamés to corroborate this statement (6 wins, 8 equalities and 5 falls in total). In terms of goals, he scored 19 and gave 16 on his fence, proving to be irregular in attack but relatively solid in defense. For this presentation the defenders De Marcos, Yeray and Balenziaga, the flyers Beñat, Muniain and Susaeta, and the forwards Iñaki Williams and Aduriz are expected to play. It is not ruled out that the signing also debuts Yuri Berchiche, who comes from PSG.
Leganés:
The “pepineros” come to this game after playing several friendly matches under coach Mauricio Pellegrino (1-1 draw against Alcorcón, 1-1 equality against Alavés, 3-0 victory against Rayo Majadahonda, 0-0 draw against Olympiakos , victory 5-2 against Zaragoza and victory 2-0 against Rayo Vallecano). The team has been reinforced well and have reached level players like Diego Rolán and Guido Carrillo. Now the goal of the squad is to fight for permanence and get a cushion of points that allows you to play with tranquility most of the championship. For this exit it is expected that the Argentine DT use a conservative system, trying to go back the lines to score better. Of course, do not neglect the attack, as you can advance block or using the famous ball stop (corners, free throws).
Continuing with the analysis you should know that Leganés reaped negative results as a visitor in the last tournament, after winning 3 matches, equaling other 3 and losing the remaining 13 that he played (15 goals scored and 32 received in his goal). If we analyze these results, we can conclude that the “pepineros” had little goal in this condition, standing out for being uncomfortable to overcome. However, despite this, the 2017-2018 Santander League did not close well after losing 5 consecutive starts (12 goals conceded in this final stretch of the championship).
In the last year and a half, Athletic Bilbao and Leganés have met twice in the new San Mamés. These were the results of those matches: Draw 1-1 in May 2017 and win 2-0 of Athletic Bilbao in March 2018 (advantage gained from the initial stage).
PREDICTION: Ath Bilbao to win @ 1.75
