Muniain: “This is an exciting match against a big rival"

Athletic Club captain Iker Muniain said the upcoming LaLiga clash against Atlético Madrid at San Mamés on Saturday (21:00 CEST) is an exciting prospect for fans and team alike.

One of the standout fixtures of the season, and typically an entertaining one too, the Lions are determined to keep their good run going with a positive performance at The Cathedral against an important opponent.

The match has an added incentive as Los Leones and Los Colchoneros respectively occupy third and fourth place in the LaLiga Santander table at the moment. As such, a win for either side, especially with the World Cup break fast approaching, could be vital for their European ambitions.

"The squad is doing very well. We have a great, exciting match coming up against a big rival," Iker said at a pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon.

"The table and the points say we're direct rivals. We want to keep winning and doing great things in front of our fans at home, where together we've created a fantastic atmosphere."

Muniain would like to see the Lions build upon their early season form. Athletic have managed five wins, two draws and one loss from their first eight matches of the season.

He said: "We've earned the right to be at the top because we've had good displays and picked up a lot of points. We want to keep winning and establish ourselves at the top of the table and make it difficult to move us from there.

"The team have performed very well so far and we're prepared for any kind of game."

An appearance against Diego Simeone's outfit would see the Athletic captain move beyond Markel Susaeta (507 matches) in the Club's all-time appearance makers list, a feat which would fill Muniain with pride.

"It's very special, it's what everyone dreams of," Iker said.

"It's a huge pleasure and an enormous honour to have reached these figures. To be able to overtake players who are legends of this club and have had impressive careers is incredible."