- Sporting CP have won 3, drawn 1 and lost only 1 of their last 5 matches.
- Athletic Bilbao have won 2 and lost 3 of their last 5 in all competitions.
- Sporting CP scored 1 goal per game on average away from home this season (D1, L2 from 3 Champions League away trips).
Sporting’s Suarez sizzles
Sporting Clube de Portugal are 10th on the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 table (13 points from 7 matches) - a full 5 points above the 23rd placed Athletic Bilbao (8 points from 7) ahead of the final league-phase match day this Wednesday.
The Portuguese side look primed to continue their good form against Athletic Bilbao as they bring a 3-game winning streak to the San Mames in this clash. Sporting beat PSG 2-1 at home in the Champions League before crushing Casa Pia 3-0 in the Primeira Liga in their latest match.
Luis Suarez is in blistering form for Sporting, scoring 4 goals in 7 Champions League appearances for his new club, and 7 of the 11 goals Sporting scored in the last 5 matches.
Valverde’s Basques are battle-ready
Borges and Valverde will be in a tactical battle on Wednesday
Sporting, who beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in a friendly played one year ago, have looked solid away from home recently, going unbeaten in their last 2 (W1, D1).
Athletic Bilbao have a mixed record at the San Mamés in 2025-2026 (W1, D1, L1) but they pulled off a statement 3-2 win away to Atalanta in the Champions League before losing 2-1 at Sevilla in LaLiga in their next game.
Ernesto Valverde has instilled a clear, disciplined, counter-attacking identity in the Basques since his appointment in July 2022. They are a well-organised unit that uses a compact 4-2-3-1 formation, blocks in numbers when out of possession and uses a high-tempo pressing style to disrupt opponents in their own half.
They are an exciting counter-attacking team on their day, and their wide players and pacey forwards create big problems for opposition defences.
Both teams set up to be competitive
The 2.14 price on Athletic Bilbao is too short for a team that has won 2 and lost 3 of their last 5 matches across all competitions, making Sporting CP at 3.2 and the draw at 3.45 a good option for this clash.
Both sides will feel they can do enough to get the 3 points they need to progress in this game and that could make this a tactical chess match as much as a footy match.
With both teams averaging 1.00 goal per Champions League match so far, Under 2.5 goals, priced at 2.0, looks an excellent proposition given how cagey this could be.
Guruzeta is Bilbao’s danger man and leading scorer in the competition with 4 goals in 6 games, but Sporting’s pressing style and midfield dominance should prevent him from getting the space he needs to roam.
With Borges’ double pivot and structured build-up, it is anyone’s game, but I’m going to side with the visitors to edge this contest given their hot streak and their solid results away from home.
