Comments and predictions for Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao: Away team wins hard

Athletic Bilbao will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run in La Liga to 15 games when they travel to Espanyol on Sunday.

The visitors are currently fourth in La Liga, four points clear of fifth-placed Villarreal in the race for a Champions League spot, while Espanyol are struggling to stay in the top flight and are in 16th place.

Latest Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao team information

Espanyol will continue to be without Jose Gragera due to a thigh injury, while Brian Olivan, Fernando Pacheco and Pol Lozano could also miss out with muscle problems.

However, Carlos Romero will return to the squad after serving his suspension, and the Spaniard is expected to take up the left-back position.

Javi Puado has been in impressive scoring form for the Catalan club this season, netting eight goals. The 26-year-old is likely to continue to feature up front.

For Athletic, Alvaro Djalo will be absent due to an ankle injury, while Nico Williams and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta remain doubtful and need to pass a last-minute fitness test.

Sancet scored a hat-trick in the win over Girona and will continue in the No.10 role. Meanwhile, Alex Berenguer is expected to continue on the left wing if Nico Williams does not recover in time.

Mikel Jauregizar has impressed with a string of excellent performances this season – Real Madrid are said to be keeping an eye on him – and the 21-year-old will continue to feature in midfield.

Latest predicted lineup for Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao

Espanyol:

J Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Puado, Aguado, Kral, Roca; Fernandez, Exposito

Athletic Bilbao:

Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Boiro; Jauregizar, Prados; I Williams, Sancet, Berenguer; Guruzeta

Latest football commentary on Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao

Espanyol were unbeaten in four La Liga games before last weekend's trip to Real Sociedad, but fell to a 2-1 defeat against the Basque side, with the decisive goal coming in the 84th minute.

Still, it was an encouraging performance from Manolo Gonzalez's side, and their recent upturn in form has seen them move clear of the relegation zone and currently sit 16th in the table.

Espanyol are just one point above the relegation zone, and the battle for survival is extremely tense, with just two points separating 19th-placed Alaves and 15th-placed Las Palmas.

'Los Periquitos' are on a run of three consecutive defeats against Athletic, including a 1-4 defeat in the first leg this season.

Espanyol haven't beaten Athletic at home in La Liga since November 2018, and this time they host an opponent who haven't lost a league game since early October.

Athletic Bilbao were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Osasuna last month, but Los Leones are still fighting on two fronts this season, having already qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Under the leadership of Ernesto Valverde, Athletic is having an impressive season, with a record of 12 wins, 8 draws and 3 losses after 23 rounds, bringing home 44 points and maintaining fourth place on the rankings.

Athletic are currently four points clear of fifth-placed Villarreal and just six points behind leaders Real Madrid. Based on their current form, they could well be considered a potential title contender this season.

The Basque side have not finished in the top four since the 2013-14 campaign. In four of the last five campaigns, they have finished 11th, 10th and twice finished eighth, showing significant progress in recent times.

Athletic head into this game buoyed by a 3-0 home win over Girona, in which Oihan Sancet scored a hat-trick, and have picked up 19 points from 11 away games this season, which is not a bad return.

Latest score prediction for Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao

Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the following results for the match Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao :

• Sportsmole: Espanyol 0-1 Athletic Bilbao

• WhoScore: Espanyol 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
• Our prediction: Espanyol 1-2 Athletic Bilbao

When and where to watch Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao live?

To watch the match between Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao live in La Liga at 8:00 p.m. on February 16, viewers can watch on K+ Sport, K+PM or online sports channels. Wishing viewers happy football watching moments.

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