La Cerámica will host a duel between two teams with European interests (Saturday, 6:30pm CEST)
Villarreal welcome Athletic Club to the Estadio de la Cerámica this Saturday at 6.30pm CEST. The match, corresponding to Gameweek 34 of the 2022/23 LaLiga Santander season, will be a great contest between two teams who are both in with a chance of playing in European competition next season.
Villarreal CF go into the game in a good run of form and results. After convincingly winning their last two home games against Espanyol (4-2) and Celta (3-1), the Submarine picked up a draw in the derby against Valencia (1-1) which keeps them in fifth position with 54 points.
In addition, it is worth remembering that the Yellows recovered one of their key men for the match against Los CHe. Gerard Moreno Balagueró returned to action six games later. This is great news for the Submarine, who have recovered a key man in the final stretch of the championship to try and ensure their presence in Europe next season.
Opposing them will be Athletic Club Bilbao, who are locked in a battle for seventh place which, following Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey triumph, gives them access to the UEFA Europa Conference League, with the fifth and sixth-placed teams earning a ticket to next season’s UEFA Europa League.
The Basque side, eighth with 47 points, arrive in Vila-real with the need to take three points after a draw and two defeats in their last three games in order to keep their grip on seventh-placed Girona, with the same points as Ernesto Valverde’s side, and to escape from Rayo Vallecano, CA Osasuna and Sevilla FC, who are in the race for the Europe.
The statistics do not smile on Villarreal in their duels against Athletic at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Last season, it was a 1-1 draw in a match in which the Submarine deserved more. However, we have to go back to the 2016/17 season to find the last win against Los Leones at home. On that occasion, Villarreal won 3-1 with goals from Víctor Ruiz, Cedric Bakambu and Adrián.
In the first meeting between the two sides this season, Quique Setién’s side went down to a narrow defeat in one of the toughest outings in the competition. However, the team are aware of the importance of the game and the opportunity they have to make an impact on the table and consolidate their presence in Europe.
The match will be refereed by Carlos Del Cerro Grande, assisted by Xavier Estrada Fernández with VAR.
