Athletic Bilbao will be bidding to continue their impressive run of form when they make the trip to Basque rivals Alaves on Friday night.
The visitors are currently fourth in the La Liga table, boasting 10 points from their first five matches, while Alaves sit 14th, collecting six points from their opening five games of the season.
Alaves were promoted back to La Liga via the 2022-23 Segunda Division playoffs, so their main goal for this season is to survive in the top flight.
With that in mind, it has been a relatively solid start to the campaign, picking up six points from five matches, which has left them in 14th position in the table.
Athletic Bilbao finished eighth in La Liga last season but will have their eyes on a potential return to European football for the 2024-25 campaign.
In brothers Inaki Williams and Nico Williams, Athletic have two of the most dynamic forwards in the league, but Gorka Guruzeta has been the main source of goals early this season, netting three times in five outings.
Nico Williams, who is currently being linked with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool, remains a major doubt due to a muscle injury that he suffered on international duty.
Alaves have been strong at home this season, and they are capable of making this a tricky match for Athletic. It would certainly not be a surprise to see an away win, but we just have a feeling that the points will be shared in this all-Basque clash.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
