Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao will face off in a crucial La Liga clash at the San Mames stadium on Sunday. Real Sociedad currently sit seventh in the La Liga table and have suffered a series of unfortunate results after a strong start to the Spanish league campaign. In their last game, which was in the Europa League, they were held to a 2-2 draw by RB Leipzig. However, they won their previous La Liga game against Granada.

On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao currently sit eighth in the table and have been quite inconsistent in recent weeks. They lost 3-2 against Mallorca in their previous meeting in the Spanish league. Marcelino García’s side will be hoping for a better result as they pursue European football.

The history of the Basque derby

The Basque La Liga Derby is a unique match in Spanish football, with the rivalry between Athletic Club de Bilbao and Real Sociedad de San Sebastián going far beyond just football. The historic enmity between the two largest cities in the Basque country, industrial Bilbao and aristocratic San Sebastian, found a sporting outlet with the arrival of football in the early 20th century.

Exhibition and friendlies between the clubs began immediately, with the start of the Basque Regional League in 1913 bringing official status. A famous first derby in February 1914 was won 3-2 by Athletic, with the first match scored by legendary Los Leones striker Pichichi. The rivalry continued with the kick off of La Liga’s inaugural season in 1928/29, as Athletic came from 0-2 down to win the first derby 4-2.

The early 1980s were a golden age for Basque football, with La Real winning its two La Liga titles to date in 1980/81 and 81/82, and Athletic Club followed that up with a double in the next two years.

There have been 149 Basque derbies in La Liga so far, with 59 wins for Athletic, 51 wins for La Real and 39 draws. Many players have played for both clubs over the years, including former Athletic Club midfielder and manager Gaizka Garitano. Only two players scored for each team in the game, striker Rafa Iriondo in the 1950s and 1960s and striker Pedro Uralde in the 1980s.

Possible starting line-up of Athletic Bilbao:

Simon; From Marcos, Alvarez, Martinez, Berchiche; Berenguer, Vencedor, D Garcia, Muniain; Williams, R. Garcia

Possible starting line-up of Real Sociedad:

Remiro; Gorosabel, Elustondo, Normand, Munoz; Merino, Silva, Zubimendi; Oyarzabal, Isak, Portu

Watch LaLiga Santander – Valencia vs Barcelona live on February 20 at 8:45 p.m. exclusively on MTV India and also on selected platforms Voot and Jio

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