Buzz previews Wednesday’s Europa League clash between Besiktas and Athletic Bilbao, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Athletic Bilbao will travel to Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League clash with Turkish side Besiktas at the Tupras Stadium.
The Basque side are sitting in second place in the league phasewhile the hosts are in 28th position with two matches left to play.
Match preview
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to take charge of his first game as Besiktas boss after signing an 18-month deal to return to football management for the first time since being sacked by Manchester United in November 2021.
Solskjaer has taken over a side that are sitting in sixth place in the Turkish Super League and one point outside the qualification spots in the Europa League after winning two and losing four of their six matches in the main draw.
Besiktas recorded back-to-back wins against Lyon and Malmo after losing to Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday one, only to lose consecutive games against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bodo/Glimt in their final two European outings of 2024.
They now need to finish strong in their final two matches of the league phase against Athletic and Twente if they are to advance to the knockout rounds of a UEFA competition for the first time since reaching the Champions League last 16 in 2017-18.
Besiktas will carry a five-game unbeaten run into Wednesday’s fixture (W2, D3), although they would have been frustrated to be held to a goalless draw in Sunday’s Turkish Super Lig outing against Samsunspor.
The hosts have previously faced Athletic on three occasions in European competition, losing both legs of a UEFA Cup tie in 1985, before winning 3-1 in the UEFA Cup group stage in November 2004.
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In contrast to their hosts, Athletic have already guaranteed themselves a place in the Europa League knockout rounds, having won five and drawn one of their six matches.
After taking a point off Roma on matchday one, Los Leones went on to claim five consecutive victories against AZ Alkmaar, Slavia Prague, Ludogorets, Elfsborg and Fenerbahce, ensuring they are one of three teams yet to lose in the league phase.
While they are guaranteed a place in the playoff round, they will still be determined to secure a top-eight spot and immediate progression to the last 16.
Los Leones will travel to Turkey on the back of a successful league outing against Celta Vigo, bouncing back from last week’s Copa del Rey exit to claim a 2-1 victory in Sunday’s trip to Galicia, with Alex Berenguer and Dani Vivian finding the net to move fourth-placed Athletic level on 39 points with Barcelona in third position.
As a result of the weekend’s victory, the Basque outfit have now gone nine competitive away defeats since losing to Girona at the start of October.
Athletic have conceded no more than one goal in any of their nine road trips, and they will fancy their chances of producing another strong defensive display, especially as they boast the best defensive record in the league phase with two goals conceded.
Besiktas Europa League form:
Besiktas form (all competitions):
Athletic Bilbao Europa League form:
Athletic Bilbao form (all competitions):
Team News
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The hosts are expected to be without the services of Gabriel Paulista, Tayyip Talha Sanuc and Necip Uysal.
Defender Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov will have to be assessed after he was forced to miss Saturday’s league draw with Samsunspor due to an injury issue.
Ciro Immobile will continue to lead the line for Besiktas, with the striker looking to add to the 14 competitive goals he has scored this season.
As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon the attacking qualities of Jungle Sancetwho has missed the last four matches with an ankle injury.
Ernesto Valverde could be tempted to freshen up his with a number of changes, with Oscar de Marcos, Aitor Paredes and Yuri Berchiche all in contention to feature in the backline.
Mikel Jauregizar could be given the chance to start in the middle of the park, while Gorka Guruzeta may come into the side to lead the line in Istanbul.
Besiktas possible starting lineup:
Gunok; Svensson, Topcu, Uduokhai, Masuaku; Al Musrati, Fernandes; Silva, Mario, Rashica; Immobile
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Berchiche; Jauregizar, Ruiz de Galarreta; I. Williams, Berenguer, N. Williams; Guruzeta
We say: Besiktas 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
Solskjaer will be hoping to kick off his tenure with a victory, especially as Besiktas need a strong finish to the league phase to reach the knockout rounds.
However, we think they will have to settle for a draw when they go up against an Athletic side that have avoided defeat in each of their six matches in the league phase.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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