The 2019/2020 La Liga playoffs have begun, and the competing teams are back from their Christmas and new year break. Whereas the Christmas break isn't enough to transform weakened players into ferocious beasts, many teams welcome the respite to address pressing locker room issues amongst teammates. Despite ending the year with one win, a draw, and a defeat in its last three matches before the new year respite, the Andalusian giants have had an unbeaten run these last couple of months. The same goes for the Basque boys, A Bilbao, who have enjoyed a progressive campaign this season and sit just 4 points away from champions league Berths.

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Whereas Sevilla sits closest to the current leaders of the La Liga playoffs between the two teams, that position could have been quickly earned by athletic, if not for the last minute, struggles that the team experienced at the tail end of 2019.

Like Sevilla, Athletic's last few matches ended with a handful of goals to their credit. To the extent that, 3 out of 4 of their previous games ended with the Basque boys scoring less than 2.5 goals. All things considered, this outing against the host, Sevilla, maybe their best opportunity to rouse the team's spirit and gain back their confidence.

What the scoreboards say

While we almost cannot deny the fact that the Friday playoffs between host Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao will be one of the fiercest rivalries between the duo, their low-scoring problem may have them at a disadvantage. On the other hand, Sevilla's last outing at Real Mallorca ended in a record 2:0 win. Thus, if luck shines on them in this outing, they'll be level with 2nd placed Real Madrid on the La Liga table.

There is no doubt that Sevilla has enjoyed a great campaign to the top of the La Liga table, but most of those victories resulted from hard-fought fights. So much so, that 8 of their last ten matches yielded less than 2.5 goals. In comparison to other top-flight teams on the La Liga table, Sevilla has the most mediocre goal records amongst the top 6 of the competition.

The visitors, on the other hand, cannot say that the 2019/2020 playoffs season is their best so far. After all, their last outing in 2019 didn't end too well for them.

Athletic has been struggling to find its rhythm on the playing field since the beginning of the season. So much so, that their last 11 away games ended with one win to their credit.

What to expect

Sevilla's performance is not the best we have seen of the team and the La Liga playoffs, in general. But their 5-games unbeaten run on their turf, albeit squashed by their 2-1 defeat against Villarreal, shows that they have what it takes to defend their fort.

Comparing the past results of both teams, Sevilla is more formidable at home court, which is more than we can say for the visitors, A Bilbao. So far, Athletic has failed to impress with its away outings. Now, faced with a formidable opponent like Sevilla, it is difficult to imagine a victory for the Basque boys in the Friday playoff.