Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla Prediction 22.08.2026 | LaLiga

Athletic Bilbao enter a brand-new era following the departure of the experienced Ernesto Valverde, who left the dugout at the end of last season upon the expiry of his contract, prompting the club's hierarchy to make a bold move by appointing Edin Terzic. The former Borussia Dortmund tactician has been handed the clear task of guiding the Basque outfit back into the battle for the absolute summit of Spanish football. 

However, their pre-season campaign under the German manager heavily indicated that there is still plenty of work ahead, given that the club suffered back-to-back defeats in their final August friendlies, falling 3-1 to Olympique de Marseille before being edged out 1-0 by Atalanta.

Terzić's official debut in front of the home faithful perfectly coincides with the massive city holiday, meaning that the pressure to claim all three points will be at an all-time high. Traditionally relying on their well-drilled Basque core and a lethal, rapid transition out wide on the wings, Athletic will aggressively look to exploit their crucial home advantage.

On the injury front, the Leones face very few major selection dilemmas, although they are highly likely to be forced to operate without the services of key defender Dani Vivian, who is currently nursing a troubling knock, meaning the defensive burden in the backline will heavily fall upon the shoulders of Aitor Paredes.

In stark contrast to their hosts, Sevilla have already tasted the sweetness of competitive football in the new La Liga campaign, having successfully navigated their opening-day hurdle on matchday one by exploiting their home-field advantage to claim all three points in a well-deserved 2-1 victory over a stubborn Rayo Vallecano side.

That opening-day triumph brought immense relief to a squad that suffered from deep-rooted, chronic inconsistency last term, and manager Luis García Plaza will be fiercely determined to capitalize on this early momentum to claim the scalp of another direct rival for European qualification spots this season.

While they have undergone several tactical modifications over the summer window, García Plaza has successfully stabilized a defensive unit that capitulated far too frequently and caused numerous issues last term, though there is no escaping the fact that this looming away trip to Bilbao will serve as the ultimate litmus test for their ambitions this season.

The Andalusian outfit travel to the Basque Country somewhat depleted in the defensive department, given that highly-rated young center-back Kike Salas must serve a one-match suspension following the red card he picked up in the dying stages of the opening round, while winger Alfon González remains confined to the treatment room with an injury.