Match Pack: RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Club (LaLiga MD28)
Match Pack: RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Club (LaLiga MD28)
The Lions travel to Barcelona and the RCDE Stadium as they look to push on with their fight for European qualification
Athletic Club return to LaLiga action. After suffering a setback in the Copa semi-finals against CA Osasuna, Ernesto Valverde's side will focus on the rest of the league season, where they are still in the fight for a place in Europe next season.
There are 11 games left to achieve the objective. It all starts with Saturday's match against RCD Espanyol, a historic LaLiga side who are not at their best right now.
After a string of bad results, Diego Martínez was sacked as coach and Luis García, former Espanyol player and one-time pupil of Ernesto Valverde, will take Martínez's place in the dugout.
Match Info
RCD Espanyol vs Athletic Club (Matchday 28)
RCDE Stadium (Barcelona)
LaLiga Santander 22/23
Saturday April 8, 16:15 CEST
How to Watch
When and where to watch the match with our global TV guide
Team News
Valverde has named a 23-man squad for the clash
Iñigo Lekue and Jon Morcillo are the only major absences, with both players out injured.
Valverde's Comments
Catch up with everything the gaffer had to say ahead of the clash
The Opponents
Head coach: Luis García
The 42-year-old former Espanyol player has stepped up to the plate to replace outgoing coach Diego Martínez. It is García first senior managerial post, having previously been in charge of Real Madrid's C team.
He was also part of the Espanyol team that finished runners-up in the 2007 UEFA Cup under current Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde.
One to watch: Joselu
The experienced striker is currently enjoying one of his most productive seasons ever, with 12 goals from 24 appearances so far in LaLiga 22/23.
His decent form saw him called up to international duty for the first time at 33 years old, scoring two goals for the Spanish national team against Norway on his debut.
Recent form (LaLiga): WLLLL
A poor run of form in March which saw Espanyol lose four matches in a row ultimately cost Diego Martínez his job as Los Pericos slid down the table into the relegation zone.
They sit in 18th place, but equal on points with Valencia in 17th. However, with just six points between 12th and 19th, new manager Luis García will know a string of positive results can see a side rapidly rise up the table.
Previous Meetings
Since their first LaLiga meeting in the competition's inaugural 1928/29 season, in what was the first ever top-flight match played at San Mamés, Athletic Club and RCD Espanyol have played a total of 173 matches in LaLiga, with Los Leones registering 72 wins, 35 draws and 66 defeats.
Athletic have played 86 matches against RCD Espanyol in Catalonia, of which they have won 17, drawn 21 and lost 48. What's more, Athletic have not won on a visit to Espanyol for 23 years, and are yet to emerge victorious in a LaLiga clash at the RCD Stadium. The last time they they beat Los Pericos on the road came in the 1998/99 campaign, when Espanyol were still playing at Montjuic.
At the RCDE Stadium, the numbers are not good for Athletic. From the last five meetings, four have ended in draws and one has gone RCD Espanyol's way.
The Zurigorri brought back one point from Barcelona last year, Iñaki Williams levelling on 52 minutes to cancel out Raúl de Tomas' first-half penalty.