Preview: Celta Vigo vs Athletic Bilbao - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides yet to register a win in the new LaLiga season meet at the Estadio de Balaidos on Sunday evening, with both Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao desperate to end their losing runs when they clash.

Claudio Giraldez’s side have been hampered by misfortune in their opening two games, while Edin Terzic is still waiting for his first victory as Athletic Bilbao manager after back-to-back defeats to open the campaign.

Match preview

Celta Vigo head into Sunday’s fixture having taken just one point from their opening two games, beginning the season with a goalless draw away at Valencia before suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Osasuna on Thursday.

Against Osasuna, Celta took the lead in the 14th minute and appeared to be in control of the contest, but a red card shown to Marcos Alonso in the 51st minute following a VAR check for a dangerous challenge changed the complexion of the game entirely.

Kike Barja drew Osasuna level shortly after in the 54th minute, and Ante Budimir converted a penalty in the 64th minute to complete the turnaround and leave Celta pointless at home so far this season.

The result is a frustrating start for a side that earned Europa League football last season by finishing sixth, and hoping to build on that - Giraldez will be acutely aware that another defeat here would leave them in a difficult position in the early standings.

Athletic Bilbao arrive in no better shape, having lost both of their opening fixtures in a deeply disappointing start to the Terzic era.

A 3-1 home defeat to Sevilla on the opening day - shaped by Yuri Berchiche’s red card in the 11th minute- was followed by a 2-0 loss to champions Barcelona, in which Athletic registered zero shots on target across the 90 minutes.

The defeats continue a difficult period for the club, which finished 12th last season and missed out on European football for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, when they ended the season eighth in La Liga.

Terzic will know he needs results quickly, and a trip to a Celta side missing a suspended defender offers a chance to open his account - though Bilbao’s own defensive frailties make that a far from straightforward task.

The head-to-head record between the two clubs is evenly balanced, with both sides winning twice and sharing the spoils once in the last five meetings.

The most recent encounter, in May, ended 1-1, with Celta taking the lead before Inaki Williams levelled for Bilbao.

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

Athletic Bilbao La Liga form:

Team News

Marcos Alonso serves a one-match suspension for Celta following his red card against Osasuna, with Giraldez needing to reshuffle his defensive options for Sunday.

Borjan Iglesias remains sidelined with a muscle injury and will not feature in this fixture.

Aspas, Duran and Swedberg are expected to form the attacking line once again, with Giraldez likely to keep faith with the trio that started against Osasuna.

For Athletic Bilbao, Andoni Gorosabel is a doubt heading into Sunday with a physical complaint and his involvement remains uncertain.

Benat Prados is unavailable with a thigh injury, while Daniel Vivian continues his recovery from a groin problem.

Unai Eguiluz faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in May, with no return date in sight.

Aymeric Laporte is expected to anchor the Bilbao defence, while Nico Williams features on the wing as Terzic looks for his first win in charge.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Radu; Rodriguez, Lago, Starfelt; Rueda, Roman, Moriba, Galan; Aspas, Duran, Swedberg

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:

Simon; Louis-Jean, Laporte, Alvarez, Rincon; Canales, Jauregizar; Williams, Sancet, I. Williams; Guruzeta

We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Athletic Bilbao

Neither side has found their scoring touch this season, and with Athletic failing to keep a clean sheet in either of their opening two games, it is difficult to back Terzic’s side to win here. However, Celta’s own inconsistency means a share of the spoils looks the most likely outcome on Sunday evening.

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