Beşiktaş JK vs Athletic Bilbao: betting odds 22 Jan 2025

The Matchday 7 clash in the 2024/25 Europa League group stage between Besiktas (Turkey) and Athletic (Spain) will take place on January 22 at the Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul. Besiktas vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Predicted lineups for Besiktas vs. Athletic

Besiktas (4-2-3-1): Ersin Destanoğlu – Emirhan Topçu, Tayyib Talha Sanuç, Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov, Jonas Svensson – Al Musrati, Şer N'Dour – Onur Bulut, Rafa Silva, Gedson Fernandes – Semih Kılıçsoy.

Athletic (4-2-3-1): Julen Agirrezabala – Andoni Gorosabel, Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Yeray Álvarez – Mikel Hauriegi, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams – Gorka Guruzeta.

Each team is listed with its starting lineup from its previous match in this tournament.

Besiktas

The club has lost its last two group stage matches in the Europa League, marking the second time this season they have experienced such a streak. First, the Turks unexpectedly lost at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv (1-3), followed by an away defeat to Bodø/Glimt (1-2). Besiktas currently has only six points and sits in a disappointing 28th place in the standings. If Besiktas drops points again, their chances of advancing to the playoffs will be significantly reduced.

Last week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as manager, returning to work after more than three years since his departure from Manchester United.

• At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Besiktas's last 8 Europa League matches.
• Both teams scored in 7 of the last 9 matches involving the Istanbul side in this tournament.
• In their last 16 Europa League matches, the club has only managed 4 victories in regular time (2 draws and 10 losses).

Athletic

The Basques will play their second consecutive Europa League match in Istanbul. In their previous tournament game, they defeated Fenerbahçe 2-0. This was their fifth consecutive group stage victory, during which they conceded just one goal. The Spaniards also drew once – in the first round away against Roma (1-1). Ernesto Valverde's side is second in the standings, trailing Lazio only on additional criteria. Notably, the club has already secured a playoff spot, and a win would guarantee them a place in the Europa League Round of 16.

• Exactly two or three goals have been scored in 6 of Athletic's last 7 matches in this competition.
• The team has scored in 14 consecutive Europa League matches.
• The Spaniards have not lost in 9 of their last 10 away matches in this tournament (5 wins and 4 draws).

Besiktas vs. Athletic: Match Prediction

The Spaniards have a five-point cushion over the ninth place. Thus, Athletic might only need one point from the remaining two rounds to advance to the Europa League Round of 16. Additionally, they have a solid goal difference of 11:2. However, it's unlikely that Athletic will need to rely on tiebreakers to determine a top-8 finish at the end of the group stage, as they are set to play Viktoria Plzeň at home in the final round. A positive result against the Czechs is quite achievable.

Therefore, I expect the Spaniards not to exert maximum effort in this match. Most likely, the team will focus on defending their goal and rely on counterattacks. Besiktas is much more motivated, as a loss could mean missing out on the playoffs. The players will aim to impress their new coach and secure a crucial victory.

My prediction – Besiktas to win or draw