La Liga
Athletic Club vs. Sevilla kicks off at 20:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, August 20, at San Mamés. Athletic Club will kick off their 2026-27 in Saturday’s home opening clash against Sevilla. The Lions, who finished in 12th place last term, enter the contest with the narrowest of historical advantages. Across the previous 40 meetings between the clubs, the Basque side have recorded 18 victories compared with Sevilla's 17, while only five matches have ended level. Those numbers underline how little has separated the teams, with Athletic winning 45% of the encounters and Sevilla taking 42.5%. The most recent meeting, however, produced a more convincing outcome for Athletic. They secured a 3-1 victory over Sevilla, giving the hosts a positive result to draw upon ahead of the latest contest. Repeating that performance would allow Athletic to strengthen their slender advantage in the overall head-to-head record. Home form provides a less decisive indicator. Athletic's recent performances on their own ground are rated as average, meaning San Mamés has not necessarily provided the level of advantage they would ideally want heading into a fixture against opponents performing strongly on their travels. Nevertheless, newly appointed Edin Terzić will be looking to get off to a flying start. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Gorka Guruzeta in attack is expected against Sevilla.
Sevilla are one of the six teams to have already had a taste of league football this season, having claimed a comeback 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano despite conceding in the opening minutes. They arrive with an excellent recent away record, presenting Athletic with a considerable challenge. Their ability to produce positive results away from home could prove especially important against a side that has not been overwhelmingly dominant on its own ground. The visitors will nevertheless be attempting to respond to their 3-1 defeat in the previous meeting. Despite that result, Sevilla's broader record against Athletic demonstrates how competitive they have traditionally been in this matchup. Previous matches between Athletic and Sevilla have produced an average of 2.43 goals, indicating that the fixture has generally generated a moderate number of goals. Both teams have found the net in 48% of their previous meetings. With that figure sitting just below half, there has been almost an even split between matches featuring goals at both ends and those in which at least one side has failed to score. Luis García is expected to keep the 4—2—3—1 formation seen on the opening day with Isaac Romero in attack. Center-back Kike Salas was sent off two minutes before the end of regular time against Rayo and remains suspended for this clash.