As Celta Vigo prepare to face Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Bilbao side at the Balaídos on Saturday night, all eyes will be on the visitors after their remarkable string of results.
"This has given them a real confidence boost"
- Eduardo Berizzo
Last time out, Eduardo Berizzo's Celta side slipped to a 4-1 defeat against Villarreal, ending their five-match unbeaten run, and Berizzo is now wary of the threat that Bilbao can cause after some superb results in recent weeks. "Athletic have been able to reverse their ill fortunes,” he said. They’ve won their last few games and this has given them a real confidence boost. They got themselves in the Copa Del Rey final and are coming off beating Real Madrid, so we’re not only playing a strong team, but one with confidence too.”
Celta are relatively safe in La Liga this season, ninth with 32 points, but Berizzo knows that in a league where just eight points separate eighth from seventeenth, one can never be too sure. Despite last week's defeat, however, Berizzo's men have been in good form, and they know that three points against Bilbao on Saturday night might just see them safe for the season, with a few to looking higher up the league places.
"We have a fundamental game coming up"
- Ernesto Valverde
Valverde's Bilbao have had a remarkable resurgence in recent weeks, beating Real Madrid 1-0 in La Liga, and booking their place in the Copa del Rey final - so much so that the head coach is focusing on securing the magical '40-point' total against Celta on Saturday night, before looking upwards. "We have a fundamental game coming up,'' Valverde told a press conference. "It's true that our recent results have strengthened us but our objective for the remainder of the season is to get the three victories we need to get away from the relegation zone and then look forward."
The degree of success Bilbao have achieved of late - including winning their last three La Liga fixtures - can be measured by talks of not only concentrating on survival, but perhaps even securing a Europa League place if their run continues. Málaga currently occupy that place, and are eight points above Athletic, as well as having a superior head-to-head record - so it seems like a difficult ask. Nevertheless, Bilbao fans will be buoyed by recent results, and should their side pick up all three points on Saturday night, they might just allow themselves a sigh of relief after ensuring some difficulties this campaign.
