Preview:Athletic Bilbao vs Real Oviedo - prediction, team news, lineups

Athletic Bilbao will be aiming to avoid a fourth straight loss in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Real Oviedo on Sunday afternoon.

The Basque outfit are 11th in the La Liga table, picking up 14 points from their first 11 matches of the season, while the visitors are 19th, claiming eight points from their opening 11 games of 2025-26.

Match preview

Athletic will enter this weekend's clash off the back of three straight defeats in all competitions, including their last two in Spain's top flight against Getafe and Real Sociedad.

The Lions were then beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with the result leaving them down in 27th spot in the overall table, outside of the playoff positions.

Ernesto Valverde's side have not had the start to the La Liga campaign that many would have expected, with a disappointing return of 14 points from 11 matches leaving them down in 11th spot in the table.

The Basque outfit are only four points off sixth-placed Espanyol, but they sit eight points off the top four, which is a substantial gap, even at this stage of the campaign.

Athletic have picked up 10 points from their six home league matches this season, and they will be welcoming a Real Oviedo outfit that have three points to show from their five games on their travels, boasting a record of one win and four defeats.

Real Oviedo, meanwhile, drew 0-0 at home to Osasuna in their last league match, with that result following a shock 4-2 defeat to third-tier outfit Ourense CF in the first round of the Copa del Rey.

There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough start to the campaign for the Blues, who are back at this level for the first time since 2001 following their promotion at the end of last season.

Luis Carrion's side have a record of two wins, two draws and seven defeats from their 11 league matches this season, with eight points leaving them down in 19th spot in the table.

Real Oviedo are just one point from safety, but their lack of goals this season is a concern, only finding the back of the net on seven occasions in their 11 matches, which is the worst attacking record in the division.

The Blues have won 28 of their previous 82 matches with Athletic in all competitions, and they recorded a 5-0 victory when the pair last locked horns in Spain's top flight back in May 2001.

Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:

DLWDLL

Athletic Bilbao form (all competitions):

WDWLLL

Real Oviedo La Liga form:

LWLLDD

Real Oviedo form (all competitions):

WLLDLD

Team News

Athletic are suffering with an availability crisis at this moment in time, with eight first-team players missing out against Newcastle in the Champions League last time out through injury.

Inaki Williams and Unai Eguiluz will again definitely be missing, while Yuri Berchiche, Benat Prados, Oihan Sancet, Maroan Sannadi and Nico Williams remain doubts.

Yeray Alvarez is also missing due to a long-term suspension, so Valverde could again send a patched-up side onto the field in this match, but there could be returns to the side for Andoni Gorosabel and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta.

As for Real Oviedo, Alvaro Lemos remains on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, while Santi Cazorla, Ovie Ejaria and Josip Brekalo are major doubts.

Due to the strength of the performance against Osasuna last time out, it could be a case of same again when it comes to team selection for this match, with Salomon Rondon set to lead the line.

Leander Dendoncker has been an important player for the promoted outfit this season following his arrival at the club, and there will also be a spot in the midfield for the 30-year-old.

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:

Simon; Gorosabel, Vivian, Laporte, Boiro; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Vesga, Navarro; Guruzeta

Real Oviedo possible starting lineup:

Escandell; Vidal, Costas, Carmo, Lopez; Reina, Dendoncker, Colombatto; Vinas, Rondon, Chaira

We say: Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Real Oviedo

Athletic are struggling at the moment due to the absence of a number of important players, and Real Oviedo will be eyeing a big result this weekend. However, we believe that the home side will ultimately be able to navigate their way to an important three points on Sunday afternoon.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.