Athletic Bilbao vs Osasuna Predictions

• Athletic Bilbao can still pip Atletico Madrid for the last Champions League spot but Osasuna have nothing to play for
• Bilbao have won six of their last 10 home league games with clean sheets in six
• Osasuna have lost their last four games and failed to score in three

Bilbao will beat Osasuna

Athletic Bilbao should dispatch Osasuna without much trouble at San Mames on Saturday and the recent form lines of both clubs suggest they can keep a clean sheet too.

The visitors have nothing to play for aside from pride, whereas Los Leones can close up to within three points of Atletico Madrid before their rivals for the final Champions League qualification spot are in action on Sunday.

Ernesto Valverde’s side got back to winning ways after a post-Cup hangover with a 2-0 victory at Getafe last weekend. It was not as comfortable a win as it should have been as Athletic Club had two players sent off in the second half when in cruise control and needed a smart penalty save from Unai Simon to preserve their clean sheet.

Los Leones can keep another clean sheet

But keeping any team from scoring with only nine men on the pitch takes some doing and the mentality and discipline they showed against Getafe should be enough to see them to another three points against Osasuna.

The Pamplona outfit appear to be ‘on the beach’ or perhaps they are still suffering from the embarrassment of witnessing one of the worst penalties ever taken by a professional footballer a few weeks back.

Ante Budamir has not played since that 97th-minute horror show against Valencia, which was the first of four straight defeats for Jagoba Arasate’s side, and he is a doubt for this clash too. Without their Croatian top scorer in the line-up, Osasuna have scored just once in the lats three games and look destined to fail again in Bilbao.