Match Pack: Athletic Club vs Girona FC (LaLiga MD23)

LaLiga action finally returns to Bilbao after a three-week absence and Athletic Club are desperate to win three points which could be crucial for their European ambitions. 

Girona FC, 11th in the table and looking to secure their First Division status as soon as possible, arrive to The Cathedral off the back of their biggest win of the season - a 6-2 thrashing of UD Almería. An attacking side, Míchel's Catalans are the third highest scoring team in the league behind only FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

There are a few remaining tickets for the Sunday fixture, which can be purchased on our official tickets channel.

Match Info
Athletic Club vs Girona FC (Matchday 23)

San Mames (Bilbao)

LaLiga Santander 22/23

Sunday February 26, 14:00 CET

How to Watch
When and where to watch the clash from anywhere in the world.

Valverde's Comments
The gaffer said he wants teams to fear coming to San Mames, reiterating that it's imperative the Lions' home numbers are strong. Catch up with what he had to say in his press conference.

The Opponents

Head coach: Míchel
The former Rayo Vallecano player has made a name for himself as a promotion specialist, having led Rayo Vallecano, SD Huesca and Girona FC from the Segunda to the top-flight.

The 47-year-old took over at Girona in July 2021 taking them to LaLiga Santander after winning a play-off final against CD Tenerife in June 2022. From his 74 games in charge, Girona have registered 33 wins, 15 draws and 26 losses.

Top scorer: Cristhian Stuani
The veteran Uruguayan forward has been Girona's talisman for six seasons now, scoring a total of 113 goals in 197 appearances for the Catalan outfit.

So far in LaLiga 22/23, he has hit the back of the net six times in 17 matches, his latest strike coming in Girona's 6-2 win over Almería last week.

Recent form (LaLiga): LLWLW
A run of seven matches without a loss from October to January saw Girona move into the mid-table and away from the relegation battle. However, the standings are bunched, with just five points between Girona in 11th and Cádiz CF in 18th. Míchel's side will be keen to pick up points to put more distance between themselves and the drop zone. 

Previous Meetings
The two sides met for the first time ever in the 2017/18 season. On that occasion, Athletic won 2-0 thanks to goals from Iker Muniain and Aritz Aduriz. Los Leones and Girona have faced each other five times in total, Athletic winning three matches and losing the other two.

Two of those matches took place in Bilbao with the Zurigorri victorious in both while also keeping a clean sheet.

Girona's last visit to San Mames was back in 2018/19, Aduriz ensuring Los Rojiblancos took all three points with a nerveless penalty in the 92nd minute.