Athletic Club Vs Celta

Athletic Bilbao will be looking to secure their third consecutive victory in La Liga as they host Celta Vigo at San Mamés on Sunday afternoon.

Currently positioned fifth in the league standings, Athletic has amassed 10 points from their first six matches of the season. Meanwhile, Celta has made a strong start, collecting nine points, which places them sixth in the table.

Athletic Bilbao’s Oihan Sancet celebrates scoring during a match on August 15, 2024.

Athletic Bilbao experienced a challenging beginning to their campaign, drawing their opening match at home against Getafe before facing a 2-1 loss to Barcelona. However, they bounced back with a crucial 1-0 victory over Valencia at the end of August.

After suffering another defeat—this time at home to Atletico Madrid—Athletic has regained form with two successive wins. They triumphed in a thrilling 5-3 encounter against Las Palmas last weekend, followed by a solid 2-0 victory over Leganes on Thursday, with goals from Dani Vivian and Iñaki Williams.

Under the management of Ernesto Valverde, Athletic Bilbao sits fifth in the standings with 10 points, trailing second-placed Atletico by just one point and five points behind league leaders Barcelona.

Last season, Athletic finished fifth in La Liga, which earned them a spot in this season’s Europa League group stage. Their first match in this prestigious tournament is scheduled away against Roma next week.

However, their immediate focus is on league play as they seek to return to winning ways against Celta Vigo, particularly after suffering a 2-1 defeat to them in their last meeting in May.

Celta Vigo's Borja Iglesias celebrates with Oscar Mingueza after scoring on August 26, 2024.

Celta Vigo has emerged as one of the unexpected success stories of La Liga this season, securing nine points from their first five matches and currently sitting sixth, just one point behind Athletic.

The Sky Blues began their season with back-to-back victories against Alaves and Valencia. However, they stumbled in their next two matches, suffering defeats to Villarreal and Osasuna. They returned to winning form last weekend, convincingly beating Real Valladolid 3-1, with Borja Iglesias netting his third goal of the season.

Despite their strong attacking presence, Celta currently possesses the joint-second worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 10 goals thus far. Nevertheless, they have found the net 13 times, trailing only Barcelona, who has scored 17.

The team’s goals have been distributed among several players, but veteran striker Iago Aspas has been particularly impactful, contributing two goals and demonstrating impressive form in the early weeks of the season.

Celta Vigo has enjoyed success against Athletic in their recent home fixtures, winning the last two encounters. However, they faced a nail-biting 4-3 defeat when the teams last met during the 2023-24 campaign.