Aston Villa vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction and Betting Tips | August 7th 2024

Aston Villa and Athletic Bilbao return to action in pre-season when they square off in a friendly at the Bescot Stadium on Wednesday. While Unai Emery’s men will be looking to snap their three-game pre-season losing streak, the La Liga side will head into the midweek tie in search of a third victory on the bounce.

Aston Villa were left red-faced once again as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Mexican outfit Club America at Soldier Field on Saturday.

Emery’s side have now lost their last three matches, having kicked off their pre-season fixtures with back-to-back victories over Walsall and Spartak Trnava.

Aston Villa will follow Wednesday’s game with a clash against German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund on August 10, one week before kicking off the 2024-25 Premier League campaign against West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Elsewhere, Alvaro Djalo and Inaki Williams scored on either side of the half-time break to hand Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 victory over Osasuna in a friendly at the weekend.

Ernesto Valverde’s men have now won three of their five warm-up games while suffering defeats against Burgos and Portuguese heavyweights Sporting Lisbon respectively.

Bilbao came into pre-season off the back of a solid 2023-24 campaign as they finished fifth in the La Liga to book their spot in the Europa League.

Aston Villa vs Athletic Bilbao Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

This will be the first-ever meeting between Aston Villa and Athletic Bilbao, who will be looking to begin their rivalry on a positive note.
Aston Villa have lost their last three matches, conceding seven goals and scoring just once since a 3-0 victory over Spartak Trnava on July 20.
Athletic Bilbao have won all but one of their last four games, with a 3-0 defeat against Sporting Lisbon on July 27 being the exception.
Aston Villa have failed to win seven of their last nine away matches across all competitions, losing six and claiming one draw since mid April.

Aston Villa vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction

Aston Villa and Athletic Bilbao head into the midweek clash in contrasting form, with the Premier League side losing their last three games. However, we predict Emery’s men will bounce back here and secure a narrow victory over the La Liga outfit.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Athletic Bilbao

Aston Villa vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Aston Villa to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in five of Aston Villa’s last seven matches)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in Villa’s last five games)