Real Oviedo vs Athletic Bilbao – News and Probable Lineups

Bottom-placed Real Oviedo in La Liga will be looking to secure their second consecutive win when they face Athletic Bilbao this Sunday afternoon.

Currently at the foot of the La Liga standings, Oviedo is seven points adrift of the 17th position, while Athletic is having a lackluster season, sitting in 10th place.

Match overview

Last time out, Oviedo managed to achieve their first victory since the end of September, defeating Girona 1-0, a result that significantly boosted their chances of survival at a crucial moment.

The Blues had initially been set to continue their campaign against Rayo Vallecano last weekend, but the match was postponed due to poor pitch conditions caused by heavy rainfall in Madrid.

This has allowed Oviedo a two-week break, which may either help or hinder their performance, but they are presented with a chance to secure back-to-back wins in Spain’s top tier when they welcome Athletic on Sunday afternoon.

Guillermo Almada’s squad currently sits at the bottom of the table, trailing 17th-placed Valencia by seven points, with a game in hand, and there remains a considerable amount of football to be played this season.

Oviedo’s primary challenge this year has been scoring goals, managing to find the net only 12 times in their 22 matches, marking the lowest scoring record in the league.

On the other hand, Athletic enters this fixture following a 1-0 defeat at home to rival Basque club Real Sociedad during the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

However, Ernesto Valverde’s team did secure a victory in La Liga last weekend, emerging as 4-2 winners over Levante, marking their first league win since early December.

It’s evident that Athletic has experienced a challenging league season, accumulating 28 points from 23 matches that places them in 10th position, six points behind sixth-place Espanyol and 17 points adrift of fourth-place Villarreal.

The Lions boast only the 15th best away record this season, winning two of their 11 away matches and managing to score just 10 goals in the process.

The earlier encounter between these two teams this season concluded with a 1-0 win for Athletic, while Oviedo has not triumphed over the Basque side since May 2001.

Real Oviedo La Liga form:

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Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:

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Athletic Bilbao form (all competitions):

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Team News

Head coach Almada is likely to field the same team that performed against Girona last time, given their impressive display.

The home side has not encountered any further injury issues in the lead-up to the match, although Eric Bailly is expected to miss out due to an ankle concern, with Rahim Alhassane and Ovie Ejaria also likely to be absent for Athletic’s visit this weekend.

Ilyas Chaira was the standout performer and the match-winner for Oviedo against Girona, and the 25-year-old will retain his position in a wide role on Sunday.

For Athletic, Yuri Berchiche, Alex Berenguer, Dani Vivian, Maroan Sannadi, and Benat Prados may also miss the clash against Oviedo.

The Lions have been hindered by several injury setbacks recently, but Inaki Williams and Nico Williams are both expected to be available after overcoming their recent fitness concerns.

Unai Simon will return to goal following the Copa del Rey match against Real Sociedad, while Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta and Aitor Paredes should also rejoin the starting XI.

Real Oviedo probable starting XI:

Escandell; Vidal, Costas, Carmo, Lopez; Hassan, Sibo, Colombatto, Chaira; Queen, Vinas

Athletic Bilbao probable starting XI:

Simon; Lekue, Paredes, Laporte, Boiro; Palace, Ruiz de Galarreta; I Williams, Navarro, N Williams; the cross

Athletic has had a tough time on their travels this season and will be facing a well-rested Oviedo side on Sunday. We find it challenging to support Athletic with genuine confidence, suggesting it could be another point gained for the league’s bottom team.