Villarreal Aims for Third Straight Win Against Athletic Bilbao

VILLARREAL, Spain — Villarreal will look to continue their strong start to the La Liga season when they face Athletic Bilbao at Estadio de la Ceramica on Saturday night. The Yellow Submarine, currently third in the table with 13 points from six matches, is aiming for their third consecutive league victory.

Villarreal recently won their last two matches, overcoming Osasuna and Sevilla 2-1. These victories follow a tough start in which they lost to Atletico Madrid and suffered a defeat in their Champions League opener. Despite these setbacks, Villarreal has shown solid form with four wins out of seven matches this season.

In comparison, Athletic Bilbao is fifth in the league, having earned 10 points in their opening six games. They are coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw against Girona, which makes their situation a bit more tense. Athletic has recorded three wins and three losses in their recent matches.

Historically, Villarreal has struggled against Athletic, winning only 18 of their last 56 encounters across all competitions. In the past season, Villarreal managed to gain just one point from two fixtures against Athletic, suffering a 2-0 loss and then drawing in April.

Villarreal’s injury list is notable, with Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth, and Pau Cabanes ruled out of the match. Gerard Moreno, Ilias Akhomach, and Santi Comesana are also doubtful. In contrast, Athletic welcomes back Dani Vivian and Alex Padilla from suspension but will be without Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz due to injuries.

Villarreal’s leading scorer, Tajon Buchanan, has netted three goals this season and is expected to play a crucial role in their offense. Meanwhile, Oihan Sancet from Athletic is also making headlines with interest from Premier League clubs.

As both teams address their roster challenges, Villarreal is favored to take all three points this weekend in a matchup pivotal for both clubs’ ambitions this season.