Athletic Bilbao Seeks First Win at San Mamés
Athletic Bilbao faces Sevilla FC in the second LaLiga match at San Mamés on August 22 at 17:00. For the home team, it will be the first league match of the new season under Edin Terzić, while Sevilla arrives in the Basque Country with three points already secured after a dramatic 2:1 victory over Rayo Vallecano.
The schedule immediately gives the match an intriguing dynamic. Athletic still have to show what Terzić's football will look like when points are at stake, following a pre-season period that ended with defeats against Olympique Marseille and Atalanta. Sevilla, on the other hand, have already passed their first competitive test and came away with a victory despite conceding an early goal and finishing the match with ten men.
For both teams, this is an important early indicator of the direction of the season. Athletic want to turn home advantage into a solid starting point after the change of coach, while Sevilla have the chance to put together two victories before the fixture list becomes even more demanding.
Edin Terzić Seeks First Win
The change on the bench is one of the main stories surrounding the home team. Edin Terzić took over Athletic after the end of Ernesto Valverde's tenure, and the pre-season matches served to get to know the squad and test different combinations.
The start of pre-season brought convincing results against weaker opponents. Athletic beat CD Derio 3:0, SD Leioa as much as 11:0 and Sestao River 2:0. The match against SD Eibar ended 2:2, followed by a 3:0 victory over Racing Club de Santander. As the quality of the opposition increased, the results became less pleasant: Olympique Marseille beat Athletic 3:1, and Atalanta won 1:0 in the final test before the start of the league season.
The match in Bergamo is particularly interesting for assessing Terzić's initial hierarchy. From the first minute, Unai Simón, Jesús Areso, Yeray Álvarez, Aitor Paredes, Yuri Berchiche, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Beñat Gerenabarrena, Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet, Álex Berenguer and Maroan played. Atalanta won with a goal immediately after the break, but Athletic played much of the first half solidly and allowed few chances.
That is more important than the result of the friendly itself. Ahead of Sevilla, Terzić already has a core around which he can build the team, while the real answer to how much Athletic have changed will only come once league points are at stake.
Players to Watch
Oihan Sancet remains one of the players capable of changing the rhythm of the match between the opposition lines. During pre-season he scored against CD Derio and Racing, and he also found the net in the defeat to Marseille. Iñaki Williams gives Athletic pace and the ability to attack space, while Gorka Guruzeta also showed his goalscoring qualities during pre-season, including a hat-trick against SD Leioa and a goal against SD Eibar.
In midfield, the control provided by Ruiz de Galarreta and the work of the players around him will be important. Against a team that showed in the opening round that it can stay in the game even when things go badly, Athletic will have to pay particular attention to turnovers during the build-up phase.
Current Situation
Currently, Andoni Gorosabel and Dani Vivian are injured and will not be able to participate in the match.
