The 25th round of La Liga action will once more feature the big Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad. With only four points separating the two, there’s more than pride at stake.
This game is bound to get heated and bookmaker 10bet has the odds at 2.00 for Athletic to get the most cards and 2.35 for Sociedad to end up with the most bookings.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 19th, 5:00 P.M. (EST)
Sociedad have dominated the fixture in recent years and will enter Sunday’s clash with a five-game unbeaten run in the match-up. Although, the first derby of the season must’ve felt almost like a victory for Athletic when they grabbed a stoppage-time equalizer with ten men.
The 1-1 draw probably felt extra sweet for Athletic because Sociedad were the league leaders early in the campaign. They managed to snap up David Silva over the summer and it looked like something very special could happen. However, Sociedad’s form faded away soon after the derby and they now find themselves sitting sixth in the table.
The title dream is over for Sociedad but they still have plenty to fight for with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona just ahead of them. In addition, Imanol Alguacil’s team has regained some rhythm in 2022 with Los Txuri-Urdin having avoided defeat in five straight outings while recording four clean sheets during the run.
With the likes of Silva and Spain striker Mikel Oyarzabal, Sociedad boast plenty of offensive threat, but it’s the defense that has carried the side throughout the season, particularly goalkeeper Alex Remiro.
Remiro has kept a league-high 12 clean sheets this term and his 0.80 goals conceded per game is bettered only by Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou (0.53).
The 26-year-old is a former Athletic man, which should make the derby even more special for him. His mistake was the reason why Sociedad didn’t manage to beat their neighbors back in October, so Remiro should have a chip on his shoulder on Sunday.
Athletic are sitting eighth and have also been in very good form since the turn of the year notching 10 points from five outings. It’s been a major improvement in form as they had previously managed just one win in 10 games.
Similarly to Sociedad, Athletic also boast a very good defensive record and they should be confident of nullifying the visitor’s biggest goal threats.
Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon has also conceded just 0.80 goals per game this season and he’ll look to bounce back after Mallorca scored a late winner against Los Leones on Monday via an unlucky Simon own goal.
