One of the standout matches in La Liga this weekend will take place at San Mames on Sunday afternoon, with Athletic Bilbao welcoming Villarreal for what should be an intriguing affair.
Athletic are fourth in the La Liga table, having picked up 29 points from their 16 matches this season, while Villarreal are fifth on 26 points, but the Yellow Submarine have two games in hand on their opponents here.
Match preview
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Athletic will enter Sunday's contest off the back of four straight wins in all competitions, including a 2-1 success over the champions Real Madrid on Wednesday night, with Gorka Guruzeta coming off the bench to net the winner at San Mames.
The Lions are on a run of three straight league wins, including a 1-0 success over Real Sociedad in the Basque derby at the end of November, while they beat Elfsborg 3-0 in the Europa League last month to move into second spot in the overall table and place themselves in an excellent spot to qualify for the next stage.
Ernesto Valverde's side are actually unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions, and a record of eight wins, five draws and three defeats from 16 league matches this season has left them in fourth spot in the table.
Athletic are only three points behind third-placed Atletico Madrid and four from Real Madrid in second, while they have been excellent on home soil this term, picking up 18 points from nine games, which is the second-best record in the division.
The Lions have only lost once to Villarreal in Spain's top flight since September 2018, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when the two teams locked horns at San Mames last term.
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Villarreal were stunned by Pontevedra in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night, losing 1-0 to the fourth-tier outfit, and with no European football this season, the Yellow Submarine now only have the league to focus on.
Marcelino's side have been held by Osasuna and Girona in their last two La Liga matches, but a strong campaign to date has seen them collect 26 points from 14 matches to sit in fifth spot in the table.
Villarreal have at least one game in hand on the majority of the teams around them, but they have played two fewer than Athletic and are only three points behind, so a win in this contest would be huge.
The Yellow Submarine have been an excellent watch in La Liga this term, scoring 27 times, with only Real Madrid (31) and Barcelona (48) netting more during the 2024-25 campaign, but they have conceded 23, and their defensive record will surely need to improve in order to be serious challengers for the top four this term.
Villarreal finished a disappointing eighth last season, so there is room for improvement during the current campaign, and the fact that they now only have the league to focus on could help them in the coming months.
Team News
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Athletic are likely to be missing Ander Herrera due to a muscular problem, but the Lions are otherwise in excellent shape, with no fresh issues being reported from the clash with Real Madrid.
Julen Agirrezabala saved a Kylian Mbappe penalty last time out and could continue between the sticks despite the return to fitness of number one Unai Simon, while Nico Williams and Inaki Williams are certain starters.
The only major decision comes in the final third, with Guruzeta hitting the winner against Los Blancos, but he is expected to be back on the bench for this match, with Alex Berenguer, who also netted against the champions, featuring down the middle.
As for Villarreal, Ramon Terrats, Eric Bailly, Ilias Akhomach, Nicolas Pepe, Juan Foyth and Alfonso Pedraza are all out of the contest through injury, while Sergi Cardona is suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up against Girona.
Ayoze Perez made his return from injury off the bench in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, though, and the Spaniard, who has scored 10 times in 11 appearances during an excellent campaign, should be fit to lead the line.
There will be wholesale changes to the side that started the cup fixture, with Raul Albiol, Yeremy Pino, Santi Comesana, Diego Conde and Alex Baena set to be among those to return to the XI at San Mames.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Agirrezabala; Gorosabel, Vivian, Yeray, Boiro; Jauregizar, Prados; I Williams, Sancet, N Williams; Berenguer
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Conde; Femenia, Albiol, Costa, Bernat; Pino, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Barry, Perez
We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Villarreal
Perez's return is huge news for Villarreal, and we fancy the Yellow Submarine to claim a point here; Athletic are strong at home and will enter the clash off the back of a brilliant result, but it was 1-1 at San Mames in the corresponding game last term, and we can see the same scoreline on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
