No Christmas Gifts at San Mamés: Athletic Club Face High-Flying Espanyol
Athletic Club look to get back on track against an in-form Espanyol side who arrive in Bilbao with four consecutive wins under their belt.
Lions Desperate to Claw Back European Hopes
The final Monday fixture of December sees Athletic Club needing to pull their finger out in their quest to climb the table and get closer to the European spots. Valverde’s men, despite having played an extra match, find themselves more than one victory adrift of an Espanyol side that rolls into San Mamés on a proper tear, having strung together four consecutive wins. The visitors’ impressive form contrasts sharply with the Lions’ up-and-down results this season.
Team News
Athletic managed to navigate the potential banana skin at O Couto in the cup, and now, while awaiting a Copa del Rey draw that will pair them with a Segunda División side, they’re desperate to get their league campaign back on the right track.
Valverde faces selection headaches in defence:
- Must choose between academy product Monreal or the converted Lekue at centre-back
- Robert Navarro returns to the squad
- Yuri and Laporte remain sidelined and won’t be fit for the upcoming Osasuna clash
Meanwhile, Espanyol have established themselves in European positions with their impressive run of victories over Sevilla, Celta, Rayo Vallecano, and Getafe. Manolo González’s men have also kept clean sheets in their last three outings – a key factor in their recent success.
The visitors will be missing:
- Javi Puado and Ramón Terrats through injury
- Charles Pickel, who’s away at the Africa Cup of Nations
González confirmed in his press conference that Ferrán Gómez will be included in the squad.
Goal Drought vs Goal Machine
The contrast in attacking fortunes couldn’t be more stark. Athletic have a serious problem finding the onion bag, having netted just 15 goals in the first half of the season. Their usual frontman Guruzeta has been more effective in Champions League (3 goals in 298 minutes) than in La Liga (a paltry 1 goal in 950 minutes). The scoring drought extends across the entire attacking unit, with everyone desperate for a change of fortune.
In the opposite corner, Espanyol boast Kike García, who has Athletic in his sights as the team against whom he’s scored the second-most goals (5) in his top-flight career. The Basques will need to keep him quiet if they’re to have any chance of taking all three points.