Inter Baku v Athletic Bilbao Prediction and Football Tips – 06/08/15
Europa League football tips – Inter Baku v Athletic Bilbao Prediction
Inter Baku need goals in this game so expect a fairly offensive line-up, Brazilian forward Dhiego Martins may start in a three pronged attack having been on the bench last week. As is to be expected of a team plying their trade in the Azerbaijan Premier League there is little to no household names in the squad. You may recognize Georgian defender Zurab Khizanishvili who spent time at Blackburn Rovers and Rangers amongst others, a defensive stalwart who will need to be on top form for any sort of upset to transpire here.
Star man Iker Muniain is still missing for Athletic Bilbao, recovering from cruciate ligament damage suffered at the end of last season. Bilbao will opt for a similar XI to last week, employing their two lines of midfield in attempt to suffocate their opposition and retain their two goal advantage. Javier Eraso will be looking to add to his two goals from last week.
Possible Line-ups
Inter Baku: 4-3-3 Formation: Agayev; Juanfran, Khizanishvili, Denis, Kasradze; Kvekveskiri, Bayramov, Poljak; Martins, Fomenko, Aliyev
Athletic Bilbao: 4-2-3-1 Formation: Herrerin; Etxeita, Gurpegi, Laporte, Balenziaga; Benat, Iturraspe, De Marcos, Eraso, Ibai; Sola
- Inter Baku have won 4, drawn 3 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches.
- Athletic Bilbao have won 4, drawn 3 and lost 3 of their last 10 matches.
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Inter Baku have scored an average of 1.5 goals and conceded an average of 1.3 goals per game.
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Athletic Bilbao have scored an average of 1.7 goals and conceded an average of 1.3 goals per game.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 6 of Inter Baku’s previous 10 matches.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of Athletic Bilbao’s previous 10 matches.
- Bilbao’s 2-0 victory last week is the only previous meeting between the two sides.
Inter Baku have nothing to lose in this fixture, a 2-0 defeat at San Mames is something they can look upon fondly with some of Europe’s giants struggling at the Basque stadium in the past. They have already achieved more in Europe this season than ever before, the third qualifying round representing a step forward for a club only established in 2004. They will hope the crowd at Inter Arena can spur them on to a momentous result.
Ernesto Valverde will expect his team to deal with this challenge comfortably. Bilbao are renowned for their strong team ethic and tireless approach to the game, they will not take this game lightly. Benat will be relied upon to dictate the tempo of the game and not allow Inter Baku to gain any momentum as they look to turn around the two goal deficit. Expect a close game but another Bilbao victory nonetheless.