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A big week against Levante

A big week against Levante

Athletic will face Levante twice in six days, starting with a LaLiga fixture on Friday (21:00 CET)

Athletic Club have two upcoming fixtures against Levante UD at the Ciutat de València. First up, this Friday (21:00 CET) the two teams face off in LaLiga Santander before their Copa del Rey semi-final decider on March 4, which also kicks off at 21:00 CET.

Two crucial ties for Athletic in both competitions. A win on Friday would go a long way to helping their European charge in LaLiga. And of course, the following Thursday, a place in the Copa final is on the line. A win in the semi-final would mean a historic April in which the Lions could potentially lift two Copas within week.

In LaLiga first

Athletic Club just shade the historical head-to-head record in LaLiga. Out of the 14 top-flight matches played in Valencia, the Lions have won six, drawn three and lost five.

What’s more, the Rojiblancos have been particulary successful on their most recent trips to the coastal city, with four wins, one draw and one loss. Aritz Aduriz was undoubtedly the key figure in those victories, the striker scoring decisive goals in three of them, including two braces.

In 2013-14, striker Aritz Aduriz scored a brace to sink the home team. Levante dragged one back thanks to an own goal by Mikel San José but Athletic managed to hang on for the three points.

The following season (2014-15), Aduriz bagged another brace as the Lions won again. The two goals a testament to his ability and finishing prowess.

A year later, the teams split the points in a hard-fought 2-2 draw. In 2017-18, Aduriz put Athletic ahead from the penalty spot, but the rest of the match was decided by own goals. Centre-back Aymeric Laporte turned a cross into the back of his own net in the 73rd minute and Sergio Postigo returned the favour at the other end six minutes later.

In 2018-19, the Lions came back to Bilbao empty-handed. But last season, Athletic secured an important victory over Levante which kept our European hopes alive. Raúl García played a starring role with his two goals (4′, 46′) firing Athletic to a 0-2 lead, Enis Bardhi pulled one back for Levante, but it wasn’t enough to stop Athletic winning all three points.