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2025-26 Spanish La Liga
Matchday 2
Athletic Bilbao v Rayo Vallecano
San Mames Stadium
Bilbao, Spain
Monday, 25 August 2025
Kick-off is at 19h30
Athletic Bilbao will take encouragement from their hard-fought victory over Sevilla when they entertain Rayo Vallecano at San Mames on Monday, August 25.
The Lions endured a rough pre-season, losing five of their six matches, with their solitary win (1-0) coming against Spanish third-tier outfit Ponferradina on July 19.
But Ernesto Valverde's side put those struggles behind them as they beat Palanganas 3-2 in the Basque Country on August 17 to get their season off to a flyer.
Athletic finished the 2024-25 campaign strongly, winning three of their final five games to secure fourth place and qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
They did the league double over Rayo, running out 3-1 victors in the corresponding fixture on April 13 after triumphing 2-1 at Vallecas on December 1.
The Red Sashes also kicked off the 2025-26 campaign on a positive note following a 3-1 success against Girona at Montilivi on August 15.
It was the third consecutive season that the Madrid club had won their opening fixture since earning promotion to the top tier of Spanish football in 2021-22.
Inigo Perez's side made a successful late push for Europe last term, going unbeaten in their final five matches to qualify for the UEFA Conference League ahead of Osasuna in eighth spot.
Valverde was pleased to come out on top against Sevilla after admitting their pre-season was far from ideal results-wise.
"Winning in
La Liga is very difficult. You always have to make an incredible effort, and even if you do, everything comes down to the smallest details," the Spaniard said.
"All matches are tough. It's important to get yourself in a good position. We came off the back of a pre-season in which we didn't get good results.
"We're a team that generally competes well. What's more, I was keen for us to win this first match."
Head-to-Head (Last Five La Liga Meetings)
Matches - 5
Athletic wins - 4
Rayo wins - 0
Draws - 1
La Liga Matchday 2 fixtures:
Friday, August 22
21h30: Real Betis v Alaves
Saturday, August 23
17h00: Real Mallorca v Celta Vigo
19h30: Atletico Madrid v Elche
21h30: Levante v Barcelona
Sunday, August 24
17h00: Osasuna v Valencia
19h30: Real Sociedad v Espanyol
19h30: Villarreal v Girona
21h30: Real Oviedo v Real Madrid
Monday, August 25
19h30: Athletic Bilbao v Rayo Vallecano
21h30: Sevilla v Getafe
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