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The 2025-26 edition of La Liga is back in action with another set of matches this weekend as Villarreal lock horns with Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Bilbao side in an important encounter at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Saturday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and will want to win this game.
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao Preview
Athletic Bilbao are currently in sixth place in the La Liga standings and have stepped up to the plate so far this season. The Basque outfit played out a 1-1 draw against Girona last week and will need to take it up a notch in this fixture.
Villarreal, on the other hand, are in third place in the league table at the moment and have been in excellent form this year. The Yellow Submarines defeated Sevilla by a narrow 2-1 margin in their previous game and will look to achieve a similar result this weekend.
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Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Villarreal have a slight edge over Athletic Bilbao and have won 18 out of the last 52 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Athletic Bilbao's 17 victories.
- Villarreal have won only one of their last 13 matches against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, with their only such victory during this period coming by a 5-1 margin in May 2023.
- Athletic Bilbao have remained unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches away from home against Villarreal in La Liga - they had lost 10 of the 12 such games preceding this run.
- Villarreal have played out 17 draws in their 50 matches against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga - they have played out more draws only against Espanyol in the history of the competition.
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction
Villarreal have come into their own in La Liga this season and will look to build on their impressive start to the season. Manor Solomon scored the winning goal off the bench in his previous game and will look to make a similar impact this weekend.
Athletic Bilbao have blown hot and cold this season and have a point to prove going into this game. Both teams are evenly matched on paper and could play out a draw in this fixture.
Prediction: Villarreal 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
Villarreal vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - No
Tip 3: Athletic Bilbao to score first - Yes
