Athletic vs Villarreal prediction: teams form analysis, possible lineups on April 12, 2026
LaLiga Spain
In the 31st round of the Spanish La Liga on April 12, 2026, Athletic will face Villarreal. The visitors will seek to achieve the best possible result.
Athletic vs Villarreal: Team News and Expert Analysis
The team from Bilbao has been playing under Valverde again in recent years. This period has been successful, featuring a cup victory, a Europa League semifinal, and a fourth-place La Liga finish last year. However, as Ernesto himself announced, he will leave the project again this summer. Perhaps this is due to the current downturn. The club failed to progress from the Champions League group stage and lost to local rivals Real Sociedad in the cup semifinals. Now, the only thing left is to try to salvage the league campaign—there’s still a chance to fight for at least sixth or even seventh place. However, in the last round, they lost 0-2 to direct rivals Getafe.
The club from "La Cerámica" reunited with Marcelino during the penultimate season, and in 2024/2025 matched the points tally of their current opponents from "San Mamés", finishing fifth only due to tiebreakers. That was enough to qualify for the Champions League—but the long-awaited return was disappointing. They also exited the cup early. In La Liga, however, they are battling Atletico and could finish third! Nevertheless, they managed to lose 0-1 to Girona in the last round.
The Basques currently average 1.07 goals scored and 1.43 conceded per match. The "bronze" contenders have 1.8 goals scored and 1.17 conceded.
Head-to-Head: Athletic vs Villarreal
The 1-0 win in September was only Villarreal’s second victory in the last fourteen encounters.
The hosts are considered favorites here. However, given what both clubs have shown this season, the visitors are unlikely to lose (odds – 1.65).
Athletic vs Villarreal: Key Stats and Trends
- Athletic have lost three of their last five matches
- 50% of Athletic’s matches end with both teams scoring and the average total goals per match is 2.5
- Villarreal have won five of their last nine fixtures
- 57% of Villarreal’s matches end with both teams scoring and the average total goals per match is 2.97
Athletic vs Villarreal: Probable Lineups
Athletic’s possible 1-4-2-3-1 line-up: Unai Simón – Berchiche, Laporte, Vivian, Lekue – Ruiz de Galarreta, Rego Mora, Berenguer – Sancet, Iñaki Williams – Guruzeta
Villarreal’s possible 1-4-4-2 line-up: Luis Junior – Pedraza, Renato Veiga, Pau Navarro, Mourinho – Moleiro, Pape Gueye, Comesaña, Pepe – Mikautadze, Gerard Moreno
Place your bet on the upcoming match and follow the team’s progress in the Spanish La Liga standings
