The San Mamés Fortress Favors Bilbao
Athletic Club welcomes Alavés for a Basque derby with bragging rights and points on the line. Alavés has shown resilience, with their 9 wins matching their 9 losses, but a 15-loss record tells a tougher story overall. Athletic, meanwhile, has a slightly better mark at 12-5-16, and playing at home in Bilbao is always a significant advantage. The key matchup will be Iñaki Williams against Alavés' shaky right flank defense, which has conceded 3 goals per game in their last five away fixtures. Bilbao's attack has been potent at home, netting at least two goals in four of their last six matches there. Expect Athletic Club to secure a comfortable victory. **Athletic Club 3, Alavés 1.**
Predictions are for entertainment purposes only. Not gambling advice.