Athletic Club vs Paysandu Prediction

Alright folks, let's break down this Serie B clash! Athletic Club hosts the already-relegated Paysandu in what should be an interesting encounter. The home side sits 15th with 41 points, while Paysandu is rock bottom with just 28 points - but don't let that fool you completely!

Looking at Athletic's recent form, they've been struggling at home with only 2 wins in their last 10 games and scoring just 0.8 goals per home game. They did manage a decent 0-0 draw against league leaders Coritiba in their last match, which shows they can defend when needed. However, they've also lost to mid-table teams like Avai and America Mineiro, so consistency isn't their strong suit.

Now Paysandu, despite being dead last, have been finding the net regularly. They've scored 14 goals in their last 10 games (1.4 per game) and haven't kept a single clean sheet in that period. Their standout result was a shocking 4-2 away win at Criciuma, proving they can turn up on their day. They've also drawn 2-2 with Amazonas and Ferroviária recently, showing they can score even when not winning.

The key here is that both teams have defensive issues. Athletic concedes 1.6 goals per home game, while Paysandu leaks 1.8 per away game. With Paysandu's 80% both teams to score rate and Athletic's need to perform at home against the league's worst team, goals seem likely from both sides.

The only previous meeting ended 1-1, and given both teams' recent scoring and conceding patterns, we could see something similar here.

Key Points:

• Athletic Club struggling at home with only 0.8 goals scored per game

• Paysandu hasn't kept a clean sheet in 10 games but scores 1.4 per game

• Both teams have defensive vulnerabilities

• Paysandu shocked Criciuma 4-2 away recently

• Previous meeting ended 1-1

Given both teams' tendencies to both score and concede, and with Paysandu needing to play with freedom already relegated, I'm backing both teams to find the net here.