Espanyol vs Athletic: We believe in the Basques

Athletic have just swatted Villarreal, and after the match against Espanyol, they can already break into the Champions League zone. Marcelino’s side looks set to do just that.

Espanyol drew a match last Saturday that should never have been played. At least not if they aspire to do more than dangle in the middle of the table. 2-2 with Elche isn’t exactly a disaster, but not the best result. The Catalans have already shown that they can play on equal terms with serious teams, and a draw against Elche is as frivolous as possible.

Athletics are more than a serious team, and even at home, Espanyol are likely to try on the underdog role. The Basques are going to Barcelona to win.

Athletic have scored two wins in a row. Firstly, over Alaves and then over Villarreal. The game against Villarreal was a test of Marcelino’s readiness to fight for a place in the European competitions. The Yellow Submarine were as serious as they could be, but they failed. All because of the unyielding Basques.

By the way, Athletic lost only one match this season to Rayo Vallecano on 96 minutes. Otherwise, the team is very evenly matched. One win equals a place in the Champions League zone. Perhaps not for a long time, but it’s already an impressive bid. It’s time for Athletic to confirm their ambitions.

It’s completely unclear why bookmakers are making Espanyol the favourite. The clear favourite for this meeting is Athletic, and they will prove it on Tuesday. I suggest we opt for a straightforward Basque victory, but we can back it up with a handicap if we wish. In any case, I would take the visitors as the starting point. Good luck to everyone!