Athletic Bilbao have beaten Rayo Vallecano in six of the last eight Primera Liga meetings and can continue to dominate this fixture when they host them at San Mames on Sunday.
They are fourth in the league table, five places and 14 points ahead of Rayo Vallecano. The hosts have won 14 of their 30 games this season, while the visitors have won ten.
The hosts will have been disappointed not to have beaten Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday, given they played against ten men for 77 minutes, but given they had 72 percent possession, tiredness is unlikely to be an issue.
Athletic Bilbao have been impressive defensively at home this season, conceding just nine goals in 15 La Liga games – an average of 0.60 goals per game.
They have been good at home this season and have won four of the last six Primera Liga meetings with Rayo Vallecano by a single goal.
A 1-0 win for Athletic looks the best correct-score option as they look to conserve energy ahead of the Rangers return in Bilbao next week.
Predictions:Athletic Bilbao to Win Athletic Bilbao 1-0
