Athletic Club vs Elche prediction 20.02.2026 | La Liga
Athletic Bilbao
Kick off:
Date:
Elche
1
1.71
X
4.00
2
5.58
Contents
- Competition: La Liga
- Date: 20th February 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
- Venue: San Mamés
Friday night in Bilbao has that familiar edge. Elche arrive needing points, not applause. Los Franjiverdes sit 16th, clinging to safety on goal difference, while Athletic Club are ninth, six points better off but hardly serene. At San Mamés the Lions are favourites. Still, this season has been uneven, and visiting sides have sensed that.
Athletic Bilbao vs Elche Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Elche
0 : 0
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
-
Athletic Bilbao
0 : 1
Elche
La Liga
-
Elche
1 : 4
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
-
Athletic Bilbao
2 : 1
Elche
La Liga
-
Elche
0 : 0
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
-
Elche
2 : 0
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
Since 2015 these two have met ten times. The Lions won four, Elche two, and four ended level. Goals are usually scarce. The average sits at 1.90 per game, which tells its own story.
Athletic Club team overview
Back to back eighth place finishes once felt like a ceiling. Then the Lions pushed into fifth and fourth in the last two seasons. That looked like lift off. This year, however, Ernesto Valverde’s side are ninth, four points shy of the top six. Progress has stalled a little.
Home form is the real irritation. Only three of nine league wins have come at San Mamés. That surprises you when you picture the noise in that stadium.
Recent weeks have steadied things. Three wins in four, including a 2-1 comeback against Real Oviedo. Without Nico Williams, Gorka Guruzeta leads the line, with Iñaki Williams wide and Nico Serrano opposite. Beñat Prados and Unai Egiluz remain out with cruciate injuries, while Maroan Sannadi nurses a knee issue.
Last matches of Athletic Bilbao
-
Real Oviedo
1 : 2
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
-
Athletic Bilbao
0 : 1
Real Sociedad
Copa Del Rey
-
Athletic Bilbao
4 : 2
Levante
La Liga
-
Valencia
1 : 2
Athletic Bilbao
Copa Del Rey
-
Athletic Bilbao
1 : 1
Real Sociedad
La Liga
Athletic Bilbao lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Unai Simón
Defenders
-
17
Yuri Berchiche
-
14
Aymeric Laporte
-
4
Aitor Paredes
-
2
Andoni Gorosabel
Midfielders
-
16
Íñigo Ruiz de Galarreta
-
8
Oihan Sancet
-
18
Mikel Jauregizar
Forwards
-
9
Iñaki Williams
-
11
Gorka Guruzeta
-
22
Nico Serrano
Elche team overview
Promotion last season felt deserved. Reality in La Liga has been harsher. Eder Sarabia’s side are winless in eight, five defeats in that run, and in four of those matches Elche conceded exactly three. That pattern is worrying.
Los Franjiverdes survive above the bottom three only on goal difference. Another loss could change that by Saturday night.
Álvaro Rodríguez, five goals and four assists in 21 games, should start alongside André Silva, who also has five league strikes. Héctor Fort remains out with a shoulder problem. Otherwise, the squad is intact. Which means excuses are thinning.
Last matches of Elche
-
Elche
0 : 0
Osasuna
La Liga
-
Real Sociedad
3 : 1
Elche
La Liga
-
Elche
1 : 3
FC Barcelona
La Liga
-
Levante
3 : 2
Elche
La Liga
-
Elche
2 : 2
Sevilla
La Liga
Elche lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Matías Dituro
Defenders
-
21
Léo Pétrot
-
23
Víctor Chust
-
6
Pedro Bigas
-
11
Germán Valera
Midfielders
-
24
Lucas Cepeda
-
14
Aleix Febas
-
8
Marc Aguado
-
15
Tete Morente
Forwards
-
9
André Silva
-
20
Álvaro Rodríguez
Prediction
Six of the last eight meetings between the Lions and Los Franjiverdes finished under 2.5 goals, and two of the last three ended 0-0. Bilbao have won only three home league games, while Elche are fighting for survival. With margins usually thin in this fixture, a tense 1-1 draw feels credible.
Three reasons we expect under 2.5 goals in this game
- Two of the last three meetings between Elche and Bilbao finished in a goalless draw.
- Six of the last eight meetings between Athletic Club and Elche ended with under 2.5 goals.
- Three of the last seven away La Liga games of Elche ended with under 2.5 goals.
Main prediction Athletic Bilbao - Elche
Under 2.5 goals
Best Odds:
Megapari
1.96
Athletic Bilbao vs Elche standings in La Liga
| Regular Season | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 24 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 53 - 19 | +34 | 60 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 24 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 64 - 25 | +39 | 58 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 44 - 26 | +18 | 45 |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 38 - 21 | +17 | 45 |
| 5 | Real Betis | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 39 - 29 | +10 | 41 |
| 6 | Espanyol | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 29 - 33 | -4 | 35 |
| 7 | Celta de Vigo | 24 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 32 - 27 | +5 | 34 |
| 8 | Real Sociedad | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 34 - 35 | -1 | 31 |
| 9 | Athletic Club | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 27 - 34 | -7 | 31 |
| 10 | Osasuna | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 28 - 28 | 0 | 30 |
| 11 | Getafe | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 20 - 28 | -8 | 29 |
| 12 | Girona | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 24 - 38 | -14 | 29 |
| 13 | Sevilla | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 31 - 39 | -8 | 26 |
| 14 | Deportivo Alavés | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 21 - 30 | -9 | 26 |
| 15 | Valencia | 24 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 25 - 37 | -12 | 26 |
| 16 | Elche | 24 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 31 - 35 | -4 | 25 |
| 17 | Rayo Vallecano | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 21 - 30 | -9 | 25 |
| 18 | Mallorca | 24 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 29 - 39 | -10 | 24 |
| 19 | Levante | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 26 - 40 | -14 | 18 |
| 20 | Real Oviedo | 23 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 13 - 36 | -23 | 16 |