Athletic Bilbao will aim to win their second consecutive La Liga match in 2025-2026 when hosting Rayo Vallecano at San Mames Stadium.
The Basque team had an impressive start with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sevilla. Meanwhile, Rayo also entered the match strongly. They beat Girona 3-1 in the opening round and followed that with a win in the Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Overview
Athletic Bilbao ended last season in fourth place in La Liga, thereby officially returning to the Champions League and aiming to continue to be in the top 4 in the 2025-2026 season.
The Basque team started a new campaign with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Sevilla. San Mames witnessed an exciting chase.
Bilbao led 2-0 but let the opponent equalize 2-2 in the 72nd minute, before Robert Navarro shined with the winning goal in the 81st minute, bringing all 3 points to Ernesto Valverde and his team.
The history of confrontations is also on Athletic Bilbao's side. They have won 25/48 times against Rayo, including a 3-1 victory at San Mames in April 2025.
Notably, the home team is on a 4-match winning streak against Rayo and has not lost to the capital since September 2021. That shows that a huge challenge awaits the away team in this trip.
Rayo Vallecano also had an impressive start in La Liga 2025-2026, defeating Girona 3-1, with goals from Jorge de Frutos, Alvaro Garcia and Isi Palazon.
Just a few days later, they continued to maintain their form with a 1-0 victory over Neman in the first leg of the Europa Conference League play-off round, thereby setting one foot in the group stage of the European Cup.
Last season, Los Franjirrojos finished 8th with 52 points - an achievement that shows that they are completely capable of competing for a ticket to the European Cup this season. However, the biggest challenge for coach Inigo Perez is how to balance the two fronts of La Liga and the continental arena, especially when the season is still very long.
In the 2025 summer transfer window, Rayo brought in a total of 6 new players. Notably, there are center back Luis Felipe, midfielder Fran Perez and especially goalkeeper Augusto Batalla from River Plate. This is the club's biggest contract this summer.
However, there is still a possibility that the capital team will add more players before the transfer market closes.
Personnel situation
Athletic Bilbao will not have the service of Unai Egiluz due to injury, while the possibility of Oihan Sancet and Unai Gomez playing is still open. Both need to wait for the results of the physical test at the last minute.
Ernesto Valverde is likely to continue to keep the same familiar lineup, with the brother duo Nico Williams - Inaki Williams operating on the two wings. In midfield, Maroan Sannadi - who scored in the win over Sevilla - is expected to have another starting position.
On Rayo Vallecano's side, Abdul Mumin is definitely absent, while Luiz Felipe and Oscar Valentin are still recovering. The final decision will be made right before the match.
Up front, Jorge de Frutos - who scored against Girona - will continue to lead the attack, supported by Alvaro Garcia and Isi Palazon. Randy Nteka, a member of the Conference League, is likely to be a reserve at San Mames.
Expected lineup:
Athletic Bilbao: Simon, Areso, Paredes, Vivian, Berchiche, De Galarreta, Jauregizar, I. Williams, Berenguer, N. Williams, Sannadi.
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Felipe, Chavarria, Ciss, Lopez, Palazon, Diaz, Garcia, De Frutos.
The match between Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano takes place at 0:30 am on August 26 (Vietnam time).
