Friendly match against Real Oviedo confirmed

After announcing pre-season friendlies against UD Logroñes (Saturday , August 29) and Deportivo Alavés (Wednesday, September 2), Athletic Club have confirmed that Real Oviedo will be their third pre-season rival. The Lions will travel to the NMR Carlos Tartiere and take on the LaLiga Smartbank side at 12:00 on September 4. The game has an added element of intrigue as Real Oviedo’s current coach is former Athletic Club boss and player Ángel Ziganda.

Ziganda arrived at Oviedo in February 2020 with a mission to save the blues from relegation and keep them in the LaLiga Smartbank. He accomplished his mission after Oviedo racked up a total of 24 points from a possible 42, ensuring the Asturian side finished the season in 15th place.

The last encounter between the blues and the lions came back in the 2011-12 season when the two sides met in the last-16 of the Copa del Rey. Athletic won both legs of the tie (0-1 in Tartiere and 1-0 in San Mamés), and would go on to reach the final of that season’s Copa del Rey.