Celta put Athletic's good form to the test

With just one point separating the sides as they aim to stay in the fight for seventh place in the table, RC Celta and Athletic Club face off against each other. Having previously gone on a five-game streak of positive results, the Galicians slipped up in their last league fixture against Villarreal CF. It is the opposite situation for the Bilbao outfit which, after getting off to a poor start to the season, has managed to steady the ship in recent weeks after experienced joy in both the Liga BBVA and the Copa del Rey.

Team news
Celta coach Eduardo Berizzo will be without David Costas, Lévy Madinda, Carles Planas and Borja Oubiña for this encounter. The visitors meanwhile will travel without Carlos Gurpegi, who is injured, or Andoni Iraola, Iago Herrerín, Mikel Rico and Borja Viguera, who are all injured.

Views from the dugouts
Ernesto Valverde stated that he expects a "good game" given the evenness between the teams. "We still have things to accomplish in the Liga BBVA, we can’t start thinking that just because we’re further away from the relegations zone that our work is now done. That notion is not entertained by this squad", he concluded.

"We are playing at home and need to win. This will be a really intense and very difficult game against an opposition we always enjoy playing", declared Celta boss Eduardo Berizzo.