Preview | Athletic v Alavés: a derby set to spring surprises

Picking up 3 points before the break is crucial. With 3 weeks ahead without matches, Athletic and Alavés need a win more than ever. Edin Terzic’s side looked ready to really take off after back-to-back wins over Celta and Atlético, but the home draw against Elche left a cold feeling among fans who had started to ride the wave of excitement, the same wave that had reached Mendizorroza.

Alavés’s flying start has been halted by 2 consecutive defeats, against Racing at El Sardinero and at home to Valencia. The worst part is how those losses happened: taking the lead in Santander through a goal from Koski, and then at home after having dominated Valencia, who survived however they could and in the end, thanks to a moment of individual brilliance from Javi Guerra, managed to take the points from “Mendi.” The reality check has done Quique good in terms of regrouping the troops and appreciating what has been achieved. “Humility leads us to recognize where we are and keep our feet on the ground. In any case, you look at the table and we’re sixth, which is a great achievement for a club like ours. People are upset, but we have to be proud”.

That pride means Alavés will go to San Mamés without fear. Quique says he is “aware of how important this match is”, a message that contrasts sharply with what Edin Terzic said. The German preferred to say that “the goals are where they’ve always been” and that he has “experienced these matches before”. After the appropriate praise for the Babazorro side, the man from Menden spoke about the strengths of Quique’s team when it comes to crosses into the box and about how he wants his own side to play. He also mentioned what he plans to do to make the most of the break, since for him “preseason was demanding”.

As for the squad list, the red-and-whites get Peio Canales back, while they lose Guruzeta and are still without Vivian. That leaves the striker spot as a two-way decision: whether to start Iñaki Williams, who had been dealing with foot discomfort, or stick with Maroan Sannadi, as had been expected against Levante. Now Terzic wants to pick up 3 points to keep building confidence during the 3-week break, which could otherwise start to feel very long if they fail to win.

Alavés, meanwhile, will not make many changes. Quique has a very settled core group and will only be without Mikel Rodríguez, Facundo Garcés and Aitor Mañas. “Glorioso” already claimed a 0-1 win at San Mamés last season, and this year, as one of the revelations of La Liga, it would not be much of a surprise if they managed to raid the lions’ den again.