Athletic Bilbao will be bidding to make it successive victories in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign at home to fellow Basque outfit Alaves on Saturday night.
The hosts, who are fifth in the La Liga table, recorded a 2-0 win over Las Palmas last time out, while Alaves will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 success over Rayo Vallecano.
Match preview
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Athletic will have the chance to claim some major silverware when they take on Mallorca in the Copa del Rey final at the start of next month, but the club are also locked in a battle for a top-four finish in La Liga.
The Lions have won 15, drawn eight and lost five of their 28 league matches this season to collect 53 points, which has left them in fifth position, just two points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Athletic have picked up four points from their two matches against Barcelona and Las Palmas since losing at Real Betis at the end of February, and they have the small matter of a trip to division leaders Real Madrid to come after the March international break.
Ernesto Valverde's side have impressed at home this season, picking up 33 points from 14 matches, winning 10 times in the process, while Alaves have struggled on their travels, only managing to secure 11 points.
Athletic have already played Alaves twice this season - once in La Liga and once in the Copa del Rey - winning both fixtures 2-0, while they are unbeaten against their Basque rivals in Spain's top flight since October 2020.
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Alaves will enter this weekend's contest off the back of a 1-0 home success over Rayo, with Andoni Gorosabel hitting the game's only goal in the latter stages of the first period.
The win was the team's first in La Liga since the end of January, and it moved them onto 32 points from 28 league matches this season, which is currently enough for 13th position in the table.
Alaves were promoted back to Spain's top flight through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, and they have performed above expectations this term, sitting 10 points ahead of the relegation zone.
Luis Garcia's side are not yet safe from the threat of relegation but have demonstrated their quality at this level throughout the season, and it would be a surprise to see them drop into trouble from this position.
The Blue and Whites, as mentioned, have struggled on their travels, winning just two of their 14 league games away from their own supporters, and they suffered a 1-0 loss on their last visit to Athletic in La Liga, which occurred in the first half of the 2021-22 campaign.
Team News
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Athletic will be without the services of two players due to hamstring problems, with Yuri Berchiche and Ander Herrera unavailable for selection this weekend.
The Lions will also be unable to call upon Aitor Paredes, who picked up a milestone yellow card in the two-goal success over Las Palmas last time out.
Yeray Alvarez and Inigo Lekue are set to come into the back four for this match, but there are unlikely to be any further changes, with Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet and Inaki Williams set to operate behind centre-forward Gorka Guruzeta.
As for Alaves, Aleksandar Sedlar remains on the sidelines with a long-term knee injury, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape in terms of their squad.
Samu Omorodion, who is on loan at the club from Atletico Madrid, has scored eight times in Spain's top flight during the 2023-24 campaign, and he will again operate through the middle.
Kike Garcia and Alex Sola are among the potential options for change, but head coach Garcia could decide to name the side XI the took to the field for the first whistle against Rayo last time out.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Lekue; Ruiz de Galarreta, Prados; I Williams, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Gorosabel, Abqar, Marin, Lopez; Blanco, Guevara; Vicente, Guridi, Rioja; Omorodion
We say: Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Alaves
Alaves deserve huge praise for their performance level this season, and the visitors certainly have the ability to make this an uncomfortable match for Athletic. The hosts need to keep winning to stay in the top-four picture, though, and we are backing them to secure all three points on Saturday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
