Preview: Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams with plenty on the line in the final stages of the La Liga season will lock horns on Wednesday evening, as Espanyol welcome Athletic Bilbao to RCDE Stadium.

Espanyol are currently 14th in the La Liga table, just two points above the relegation zone, while Athletic are ninth, one point behind seventh-placed Getafe.

Match preview

Espanyol are, quite incredibly, still waiting for their first win of 2026, with their La Liga record this year standing at 12 defeats and six draws from 18 matches.

The Catalan outfit have dropped out of European contention and now sit 14th in the division, only two points outside of the bottom three, and it would be some turnaround if they were relegated from La Liga considering their form in the first half of the campaign.

Manolo Gonzalez's side will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla, and they have now lost four of their last five games in Spain's top flight.

Espanyol have one of the poorer home records in the division this season, picking up only 22 points from 17 matches, while Athletic have 15 points from their 17 games on their travels.

Earlier this season, Espanyol recorded a 2-1 win over Athletic at San Mames, which proved to be their last success in La Liga, so that could be a good omen for the hosts.

Athletic have won 88, lost 70 and drawn 42 of their previous 200 games against Espanyol in all competitions, and they have been victorious in three of the last five meetings.

There is no getting away from the fact that it has been an underwhelming campaign for Ernesto Valverde's side, but they can still secure European football for the 2026-27 campaign.

Indeed, the Lions are currently ninth in the La Liga table, one point behind seventh-placed Getafe, while they sit six points from Celta Vigo in sixth.

Athletic will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Valencia, but their won last away game, beating Alaves 4-2 at the start of the month.

The Lions will enter a new era this summer, with Edin Terzic already being confirmed as the replacement for the outgoing Valverde, who will be determined to ensure that some form of European football is secured for the club next season.

Espanyol La Liga form:

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Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:

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Team News

Espanyol will again be without the services of Javi Puado due to a long-term knee injury, while Cyril Ngonge is a major doubt for Wednesday's contest.

Two further Espanyol players will be missing through suspension, with Fernando Calero and Tyrhys Dolan unavailable for selection against Athletic.

Kike Garcia is expected to return in the final third of the field, while there could also be a return to the starting side for Pere Milla.

As for Athletic, Nico Williams was forced off with a muscular problem against Valencia last time out, and the attacker's participation in the 2026 World Cup with Spain could now be in doubt.

Benat Prados, Aymeric Laporte and Oihan Sancet will also need to be assessed before final decisions on their involvement can be made.

Inaki Williams is expected to replace his brother, Nico Williams, in the starting side, while there could also be spots in the final third of the field for both Alex Berenguer and Unai Gomez.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Romero; Zarate, Lozano; Sanchez, Exposito, Milla; K Garcia

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:

Simon; Areso, Vivian, Paredes, Boiro; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; I Williams, Gomez, Berenguer; Guruzeta

We say: Espanyol 1-1 Athletic Bilbao

It remains to be seen whether Espanyol's winless run comes to an end before the season concludes, but we are finding it difficult to back the Catalan side to triumph here, with Athletic certainly strong enough to secure at least a point on their travels.

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