{"id":1119,"date":"2026-04-06T07:22:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betway.co.com\/insider\/?p=1119"},"modified":"2026-05-08T06:19:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T06:19:34","slug":"villarreal-v-athletic-bilbao-clash-in-la-liga-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betway.co.bw\/insider\/villarreal-v-athletic-bilbao-clash-in-la-liga-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao – Clash in La Liga Showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image source: Alamy Stock Photo<\/em><\/p>\n

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2025-26 Spanish La Liga<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Matchday 31<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Athletic Bilbao v Villarreal<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Estadio San Mames<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bilbao, Spain<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sunday, 12 April 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kick-off is at 21h00<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Villarreal will be looking to put the Girona disappointment behind them when they lock horns with Athletic Bilbao at San Mames on Sunday, April 12 in the late kick-off.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yellow Submarine suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat against the Blanquivermells on April 6 to bring an end to their three-game unbeaten run in La Liga<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marcelino’s side had seen Atletico Madrid drop points in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona 48 hours earlier, but they failed to capitalise at Montilivi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Villarreal remain a point ahead of Atletico in third place with eight games left to play in the season and their battle could go down to the wire.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Image source: Alamy Stock Photo<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The Lions’ poor run of form continued with a 2-0 reverse to Getafe on April 5 which was their fourth loss in five matches.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ernesto Valverde’s side are in danger of finishing outside the top 10 for the first time in six seasons as they currently occupy 11th spot on 38 points, putting them level with Osasuna (9th) and Espanyol (10th).<\/span><\/p>\n

Villarreal won the reverse fixture 1-0 at La Ceramica on September 27 and they will confident of pulling off the league double for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Image source: Alamy Stock Photo<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Marcelino felt it was a missed opportunity in Girona after acknowledging that his team performed well below the required level in the first half.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Today we had a very good opportunity and we could have done much better,” he said. “We can win or lose, but if we lose playing as we did in the second half, we must congratulate the opponent.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Our first half was very much improvable. Losing always hurts. The team worked hard and the attitude is beyond question. We are capable of much more.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Head-to-Head (Last Five La Liga Meetings)<\/span><\/p>\n

Matches – 5<\/span><\/p>\n

Athletic wins – 2<\/span><\/p>\n

Villarreal wins – 1<\/span><\/p>\n

Draws – 2<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

La Liga Matchday 31 fixtures:<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday, April 10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

21h00: Real Madrid v Girona<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday, April 11<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

14h00: Real Sociedad v Alaves<\/span><\/p>\n

16h15: Elche v Valencia<\/span><\/p>\n

18h30: Barcelona v Espanyol<\/span><\/p>\n

21h00: Sevilla v Atletico Madrid<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, April 12<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

14h00: Osasuna v Real Betis\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

16h15: Real Mallorca v Rayo Vallecano<\/span><\/p>\n

18h30: Celta Vigo v Real Oviedo<\/span><\/p>\n

21h00: Athletic Bilbao v Villarreal<\/span><\/p>\n

Monday, April 13<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

21h00: Levante v Getafe<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sign Up with Betway and bet on La Liga<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Join our Telegram Channel<\/h3>\n

Get way more with Betway. Enjoy the thrill of sports betting, casino games, and more. Join our community for tips, bonuses, and exciting offers. #BetwaySquad<\/p>\n

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For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow\u00a0Betway<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Telegram<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Youtube<\/a>. Download the\u00a0Betway app<\/a>\u00a0to bet on the go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image source: Alamy Stock Photo   2025-26 Spanish La Liga   Matchday 31   Athletic Bilbao v Villarreal   Estadio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"yoast_head":"\nVillarreal v Athletic Bilbao - Clash in La Liga Showdown - Betway Botswana Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join Villarreal as they aim for a rare league double over Athletic Bilbao. 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