Match Information
Our pre-match preview Written before kick-off — see what we expected from this match
Match Overview
Celta Vigo host Athletic Club in a Regular Season - 3 clash at an early stage of the campaign, with both sides still searching for their footing after contrasting opening rounds. Celta Vigo sit 14th while Athletic Club occupy 19th, and with matchday three arriving, this is already shaping up as an important fixture for two teams keen to avoid slipping further behind early pace-setters.
Form is the dominant storyline here. Celta Vigo enter on the back of a 1-2 home defeat to Osasuna on August 27 followed by a 0-0 away draw at Valencia on August 22, leaving Claudio Giraldez's side without a league win through two rounds but showing defensive resilience in the Valencia clash. Athletic Club's situation is more concerning: a 2-0 away loss to Barcelona on August 27 followed a 1-3 home defeat to Sevilla on August 22, meaning Edin Terzic's side have lost both league matches to open the season and arrive having failed to score in either. That winless, goalless-in-one-of-two start places extra scrutiny on Athletic's attacking output at a venue where Celta will look to build early momentum.
Squad availability adds context rather than complication, as both clubs report no injuries, meaning each manager can call upon a full complement of options and select on form and tactical fit rather than working around absentees. Celta's 3-4-3 setup from their last outing featured Iago Aspas leading the line alongside Pablo Duran and Williot Swedberg, while Athletic's 4-2-3-1 relied on the Williams brothers either side of Oihan Sancet in support of Gorka Guruzeta.
With both teams below mid-table after two rounds, points are at a premium, and how each side responds to their underwhelming starts will shape early-season perceptions heading into the following rounds.
Predicted Lineups
Celta Vigo
I. Radu; J. Rodriguez, Y. Lago, M. Alonso; J. Rueda, M. Roman, I. Moriba, J. Galan; I. Aspas, P. Duran, W. Swedberg
Athletic Club
U. Simon; H. Rincon, Y. Alvarez, A. Laporte, J. Louis-Jean; M. Jauregizar, P. Canales, I. Williams, O. Sancet, N. Williams; G. Guruzeta
Team Form Analysis
Celta Vigo
League Position: 14Celta Vigo Form Analysis
Celta Vigo's start to the league season shows a team still finding rhythm rather than one in crisis. The 1-2 home loss to Osasuna on August 27 was followed by a more encouraging 0-0 away draw at Valencia on August 22, suggesting defensive organisation even without a return to winning ways. Across these two league fixtures, Celta have managed just one goal, highlighting a need for more end-product from an attack featuring Iago Aspas and Pablo Duran. Defensively, the clean sheet at Valencia offers a positive marker after conceding twice against Osasuna. Preseason friendly results, including a 1-4 win away at Sassuolo and a 1-1 draw at Napoli, showed the squad could be productive going forward, but that output has not yet translated into the competitive campaign. Overall, Giraldez's side have shown patches of defensive solidity but must convert draws into wins and sharpen their attacking output to move up from 14th position as the season develops.
Athletic Club
League Position: 19Athletic Club Form Analysis
Athletic Club's form is the more pressing concern entering this fixture. Two league matches have brought two defeats: a 2-0 loss away to Barcelona on August 27 and a 1-3 home defeat to Sevilla on August 22, leaving Terzic's side without a point and without a league goal so far this season. That goalless league record is a notable red flag for an attack built around Nico Williams, Inaki Williams, and Gorka Guruzeta. The concern extends beyond league competition, with the club's recent club friendlies also producing defeats against Zaragoza, Atalanta, and Marseille, pointing to a broader dip in form heading into the season. Defensively, conceding multiple goals against both Barcelona and Sevilla suggests issues at the back have compounded the attacking struggles. Sitting 19th in the table after two rounds, Athletic Club will be eager to arrest this slide, and this match represents an opportunity to register their first points and first goals of the league campaign.
Head-to-Head
Celta Vigo
Athletic Club
Recent Meetings
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-17 | Athletic Club | 1 - 1 | Celta Vigo |
| 2025-12-14 | Celta Vigo | 2 - 0 | Athletic Club |
| 2025-01-19 | Celta Vigo | 1 - 2 | Athletic Club |
| 2024-09-22 | Athletic Club | 3 - 1 | Celta Vigo |
| 2024-05-15 | Celta Vigo | 2 - 1 | Athletic Club |
| 2023-11-10 | Athletic Club | 4 - 3 | Celta Vigo |
| 2023-05-20 | Athletic Club | 2 - 1 | Celta Vigo |
| 2023-01-29 | Celta Vigo | 1 - 0 | Athletic Club |
| 2022-04-17 | Athletic Club | 0 - 2 | Celta Vigo |
| 2021-08-28 | Celta Vigo | 0 - 1 | Athletic Club |
Memorable Matches
The history between these sides has produced some high-scoring, closely fought encounters. The November 10, 2023 meeting saw Athletic Club edge a thriller 4-3 over Celta Vigo, a match that showcased attacking quality from both sides in a game with six goals shared across the contest's rhythm. More recently, Celta Vigo claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory at home on December 14, 2025, demonstrating their capability against Athletic in Vigo. The most recent meeting, on May 17, 2026, ended level at 1-1 in Bilbao, continuing a pattern of tightly contested fixtures between these two clubs. Across the wider head-to-head record, results have swung between both sides, reflecting a competitive rivalry without one team holding a dominant recent edge.
Venue Factor
With the venue for this fixture unconfirmed, the broader context of home advantage remains relevant to how this match may unfold. Celta Vigo's home matches typically carry the backing of a passionate Galician crowd, which has historically played a role in tightly contested fixtures against Athletic Club, including their 2-0 win on December 14, 2025. Athletic Club, meanwhile, have shown mixed away form this season, having lost at Barcelona on August 27, and will need to manage that travel form carefully. Atmosphere tends to matter significantly in matches between these two historic clubs, given the competitive nature of their recent head-to-
Injury Concerns
Celta Vigo
Athletic Club




















