Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Deportivo Alavés (LaLiga MD8)
Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Deportivo Alavés (LaLiga MD8)
Everything you need to know as Athletic face Alavés in Bilbao, the Lions’ first derby of the season
Athletic Club’s first Basque derby of the 2021-22 season is upon us. The Rojiblancos kick off this season’s round of derbies by taking on Vitoria-based outfit Deportivo Alavés in Bilbao.
The Lions were held to a draw 1-1 at Mestalla last weekend after Valencia’s last-minute equaliser, but Marcelino’s men are desperate to get back to winning ways and win this derby in front of the home fans.
San Mamés is once again at 60 per cent capacity for the fixture and all the available tickets have been sold.
Match info
Athletic Club vs Deportivo Alavés (Matchday 8)
San Mamés (Bilbao)
LaLiga Santander 2021-22
Friday October 1, 21:00 CEST
How to watch
Use our global TV guide, full of kick-off times and international LaLiga broadcasters, to make sure you don’t miss the derby.
Team news
Marcelino has named a 22-man squad for the derby. Centre-back Yeray Álvarez has fully recovered from his injury issues and is in the squad for the first time this season. Forward Oihan Sancet has also overcome his knee injury and is available for selection.
Striker Iñaki Williams last week equalled Juan Antonio Larrañaga’s record of 202 consecutive LaLiga appearances and has a chance to break the record this Friday.
Marcelino’s comments
The Athletic Club head coach insisted the Lions will go all out to pick up all three points in front of a large crowd at San Mamés. But warned it will be a complicated match against an Alavés side which will be in high spirits after defeating Atlético Madrid last week.
The opponents
League position: 19th
Head coach: Javier Calleja
The former midfielder and Villarreal boss joined Alavés in April last season with the side in the bottom three in the midst of a relegation battle. Starting with a 0-0 draw against Athletic at San Mamés, Calleja led Alavés to 16th place, picking up 15 points from their last nine fixtures of the season.
Star man: Joselu
Alavés are a team that rely on collective work as opposed to individual brilliance, but 6ft 4in target man Joselu is certainly a threat. Joselu was born in Stuttgart, Germany to Gallician parents, but moved back Galicia four years later.
The well-travelled striker got his start with Celta B before moving to Real Madrid Castilla and has also competed in the Bundesliga (1899 Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover 96) and the Premier League (Stoke City, Newcastle Utd).
Last season Joselu bagged 11 goals in 37 appearances, while this campaign he has one strike from his first six matches.
Last match: 1-0 win vs Atlético Madrid
Previous meetings
The Lions have faced Alavés a total of 16 times in Bilbao in LaLiga fixtures. The first match took place back in 1930-31, with Athletic winning 7-1.
However, as the two sides rarely shared the same division, the match did not become a regular event until the turn of the century.
Since the 1998-99 campaign Athletic have played 11 home matches against Alavés in the top flight, winning seven, drawing three and losing just once – The Lions’ first and only home loss against Alavés in LaLiga.
Athletic’s most recent home victory over their Basque rivals came in 2019-20. The Rojiblancos won 2-0 thanks to a Raúl García penalty in the 38th minute and a poacher’s goal by Iker Muniain in the second half.
Related match
Athletic Club - Deportivo Alavés
