ATHLETIC CLUB LOOK TO EXTEND CANARY DOMINANCE AS LAS PALMAS SEEK RARE BASQUE SUCCESS

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April 23, 2025

Athletic Club - UD Las Palmas

The historic San Mamés stadium in Bilbao will host a midweek La Liga clash on Wednesday as Athletic Club welcome UD Las Palmas, with both teams carrying contrasting objectives and momentum into the fixture.

Athletic Club, under the steady guidance of returning manager Ernesto Valverde, have established themselves as a formidable force at home this season. The Basque side's impressive run of 13 matches without defeat at San Mamés (8 wins, 5 draws) represents the longest current unbeaten streak at home in La Liga, with their only home defeat in their last 34 league encounters coming against Atlético Madrid back in August 2024.

"San Mamés has always been our fortress, but this season the connection between the team and our supporters has reached another level," said Valverde, who boasts a remarkable record against the Canary Islanders. The veteran coach has lost just 11% of his La Liga encounters against Las Palmas, his third-lowest percentage against any opponent after Eibar and Alavés.

Athletic's recent form against Las Palmas makes for encouraging reading. They've won their last three meetings with the visitors, already surpassing their win total from the previous 11 encounters (2 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses). A fourth consecutive victory would set a new record in their head-to-head history in Spain's top flight.

Wednesday matches have become something of a specialty for Athletic since Valverde's return in 2022. The Rojiblancos remain unbeaten in their four midweek fixtures (3 wins, 1 draw), winning the last three, which bodes well for their chances against a Las Palmas side that has struggled historically on Wednesdays.

The visitors arrive in the Basque Country carrying unexpected momentum, having won their last two La Liga matches. A third consecutive victory would see them achieve a feat last accomplished in April 2016 under Quique Setién's management. However, history suggests this will be no easy task – Las Palmas have never won in 14 away matches played on Wednesdays in La Liga (3 draws, 11 losses), failing to score in their last five such fixtures.

The Canary Islanders' away record against Basque opponents makes for particularly grim reading. They've failed to win any of their last four away games in the region (1 draw, 3 losses), remarkably failing to score in all four matches. Only once in their history have they endured a longer goalless run away to Basque teams – five matches between 1969 and 1971.

Despite these daunting statistics, Las Palmas can take heart from the individual brilliance of Fábio Silva. The Portuguese forward has scored five of Las Palmas' last nine away goals in La Liga, taking his tally to eight goals in 12 away games this season. This represents a club record for a Las Palmas away player in a single top-flight campaign in the 21st century.

Athletic will look to exploit their aerial prowess against the visitors. The home side have scored the most headed goals in La Liga this season (12), with eight coming at San Mamés. They're on course to surpass their headed goal tally from recent seasons, having not scored more than their current total since registering 17 in the 2015/16 campaign.

An interesting tactical wrinkle has emerged in Athletic's recent home performances, with their last three goals at San Mamés all coming from substitutes (Oihan Sancet twice and Nico Williams, all against Rayo Vallecano). This represents a marked shift, as only one of their previous 13 home goals came from a player introduced from the bench.

Las Palmas have struggled to impose themselves early in away matches this season. Only Real Valladolid have scored the opening goal in fewer away games than the Canary Islanders (4), though they've managed to secure points in three of those occasions (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss).

As Wednesday's clash approaches, Athletic will aim to maintain their impeccable midweek record and extend their dominance over Las Palmas, while the visitors seek to defy history and continue their recent resurgence with a landmark victory in the Basque Country.

We thank OPTA for providing the statistical data. Photo: source XYZ