- Athletic Bilbao are 8th in LaLiga 2026/2027, with seven points from five games.
- Deportivo Alaves are 2nd, with ten points from their first five matches.
Alaves will try to keep it tight in Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao are the 81/100 favourites to beat Deportivo Alaves at San Mames on Saturday, ahead of the draw at 27/10 and the visitors at 83/20. However, the table position of Alaves and the fact that they will set up to stifle the home side's play makes the draw and double chance markets more attractive than the odds suggest.
Los Leones are winning two of the last three home clashes with Alaves, and have a slightly worse record than the visitors this season. Edin Terzic has been in charge of Athletic Bilbao since 1 July 2026 and has already stamped his authority on the team by making them play at a faster pace and in a more vertical manner than the previous coach.
The only thing that has really been missing so far has been a 'star' to make the difference on games and Robert Navarro has stepped up to fill that void. He has scored two LaLiga 2026/2027 goals in three appearances so far, but more importantly has three in the club's last five competitive games.
Alaves boss Quique Sanchez Flores, who took charge on 3 March 2026, has done a remarkable job in making the Babazorros a compact, tough to break down unit. They have been ruthless against weaker teams at home, beating Villarreal and Osasuna, but were beaten 2-1 by Racing Santander on the road.
Head-to-head gives edge to Athletic
Alaves will be playing with a five-man defence at San Mames and will try to block the central channels of play while Angel Perez, who has three assists in his last five games for Alaves, picks his moments to feed Lucas Boye through the wings.
The Argentinian striker is a good target for Alaves as he's been their danger man this season, netting four times in four LaLiga 2026/2027 games and six times in their last five overall. That is more than half of their total goals across all competitions and is the real reason why they are flying in second place.
The head-to-head edge goes to Athletic, who won 4-2 when these sides last met away from home in the 2025/2026 LaLiga campaign. Alaves have had a solid start this term, but it will be tough to keep Athletic out over 90 minutes. Los Leones have won three of the last five and look set to edge this derby with home turf advantage.
That said, Alaves will keep this close with their solidity and we're going with a home win or draw bet on this occasion. There is a likelihood that this will turn into a press-versus-block contest with Athletic trying to break the chains and Alaves looking to kill the rhythm. Navarro's ability to arrive late in the box gives Athletic the edge if the game does open up, but Alaves can cause problems on transition and will be able to kill off the game.
