Match Pack: Athletic Club vs RC Celta (LaLiga MD35)

A must-win match for Athletic Club. San Mames hosts RC Celta as Los Leones look to get back to winning ways and take a step towards finishing seventh and qualifying for next season's Europa Conference League.

With many teams having set their sights on the final European spot, it is imperative Ernesto Valverde's side pick up a positive result in Bilbao.

Los Rojiblancos and Los Celestes both come into the clash on the back of a bad run of form, so a tough battle is expected at The Cathedral.

Match Info
Athletic Club vs RC Celta Vigo

San Mames (Bilbao)

LaLiga Santander 22/23 (Matchday 35)

Saturday May 20, 16:15 CEST

How to Watch
Take a look at our global TV guide to make sure you don't miss the match, no matter where you are in the world.

Team News
Valverde has named a 23-man squad for the fixture.

Jon Morcillo, Iñigo Martínez and Yeray Álvarez are out injured. Unai Vencedor is back in the squad, as is Dani Vivian

Valverde's Comments
The boss insisted his Lions can put their recent rough patch behind them and admitted beating Celta is vital for Athletic's European ambitions.

Catch up with what he had to say in his pre-match press conference.

The Opponents

Head coach: Carlos Carvalhal

The Portuguese tactician joined Celta in November and has led the side to seven wins, seven draws and eight losses in LaLiga since then. He has mostly led sides in his native country, but also has some more international experiences, having coached at Besiktas, Istanbul Basaksehir, Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea City and Al Wahda.

Recent form (LaLiga): LWLLL

Los Celeste are in 13th place after a mixed campaign. A seven-match unbeaten run from February to April saw the side avoid the relegation battle, but since then they have only won once - a 1-0 victory over bottom side Elche CF at the end of April. Their last outing was a 1-2 home defeat to Valencia CF.

Previous Meetings
Since their first LaLiga clash in the 1939/40 season, RC Celta and Athletic Club have played a total of 113 matches in the top flight, with the Lions recording 59 wins, 24 draws and 30 losses.

As for their 56 LaLiga encounters in Bilbao, Los Rojiblancos have won 40, drawn 11 and lost five.

The last five clashes at The Cathedral have seen Athletic win once, lose twice and draw twice.

Athletic's last win over Celta came at the beginning of last season, as Iñaki Williams led the Lions to a 0-1 victory at Balaídos.