Match Pack: Athletic Club vs UD Almería (LaLiga MD7)

The weekend kicks off (21:00) at San Mamés on Friday night, with Athletic Club and UD Almería going head to head in LaLiga.

The Lions, in fourth place with 13 points, will be looking to make La Catdral a more impregnable fortress and pick up another three important points before facing Sevilla FC and Atlético Madrid over the next two fixtures.

Today's visitors are newly promoted UD Almeria, but it won't be an easy game. Rubi's team are a tough side who, despite only being able to take four points, were able to overcome Julen Lopetegi's side. 

Match Info

Athletic Club vs UD Almería (Matchday 7)

San Mamés (Bilbao)

LaLiga Santander 22/23

Friday September 30, 21:00 CEST

How to Watch

 

Team news



Ernesto Valverde has called up 23 players for the clash in Bilbao. Mikel Balenziaga, recovered from his injuries, makes his first appearance in the squad this season. For his part, Mikel Vesga is also back in the squad. Dani Vivian and Yuri Berchiche both miss out through injury.

Valverde's comments



Read more from the Gaffer's press conference here.

The opponents







Head coach: Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi'

As a player, he began his career at UE Vilassar de Mar and subsequently played for teams in Segunda División B such as A. E. C. Manlleu, RCD Espanyol "B", CE L'Hospitalet, Pontevedra CF and Terrassa FC. He finished his time as a player at Vilassar.

In July 2011, he joined Girona FC's coaching staff as a scout and match analyst. In the 2012-13 season, he was appointed coach of Girona, which was his debut as a coach in the second division. On 28 April 2021, his move to UD Almería was made official, replacing José Gomes. The coach signed a contract that tied him to the Indálico side until the 2022-23 season. On 29 May 2022, he managed to return UD Almería to the top flight of Spanish football, as well as winning the Second Division title.

New signings:

Transfers: Fernando Pacheco (goalkeeper, from Deportivo Alavés), Kaiky (centre-back, from Santos FC), Srdjan Babic (centre-back, from Crvena Zvezda), Alejandro Pozo (right-back, from Sevilla FC), Houboulang Mendes (right-back, from FC Lorient), Gonzalo Melero (midfielder, from Levante UD), Gui Guedes (midfielder, from Vitória Guimarães SC, Lázaro (forward, from Clube de Regatas do Flamengo), Adrián Embarba (froward, from RCD Espanyol), Léo Baptistão (forward, from Santos FC), El Bilal Touré (forward, from Stade Reims) and Marko Milovanovic (forward, from Partizan Belgrade).

Recent form:

Taking into account the results of the team coached by Rubi, UD Almeria are not in their best moment for this match. Of their last five games, they have only beaten Sevilla FC at home, drawn away to Elche CF and lost three in a row to Real Valladolid, CA Osasuna and RCD Mallorca.

Previous Meetings

Since they met for the first time in LaLiga in the 2007-08 season, Athletic Club and UD Almería have played a total of 12 matches in the top flight, with a positive balance for the Zurigorri: seven wins, three draws and two defeats.

As for the matches played at San Mamés, the balance continues to be positive for the lions. UD Almeria's visits to La Catedral have been reduced to six and they have only managed to score on two occasions, a draw and a win. In contrast, the Zurigorris have won four times against the Andalusian side at home.

Regarding the last five meetings between the two teams in Bilbao, Los Leones have managed to win in the last four visits of UD Almeria. However, in the 2008-09 season, the Andalusian side beat the home side 1-3.