Last Updated on May 11, 2026 8:21 pm by ZUWP Automation
Four defeats in five, no points on the board: Athletic Club arrive at a club running out of road
Espanyol have not won a league match in over a month. They have scored once in their last four games. They arrive at the RCDE Stadium on Wednesday evening carrying the weight of a side that has lost the ability to find solutions, and Athletic Club are precisely the kind of visitor to expose that.
Match Details
- Fixture: Espanyol vs Athletic Club
- Venue: RCDE Stadium
- Date: 13 May 2026
- Competition: La Liga 2025/26
Current Form
The form summary tells you almost everything: Espanyol have managed just one draw and four defeats in their last five matches. That solitary point came in a goalless stalemate with Levante at home. The other four results — a 0-2 loss to Real Madrid at the RCDE Stadium, a 1-2 defeat away at Sevilla, a 0-1 reverse at Rayo Vallecano, and a 0-2 loss away at FC Barcelona — paint a picture of a side that has stopped scoring and stopped winning.
The Sevilla defeat last weekend, conceding a late winner, was the fifth match in that wretched run. Espanyol have found the net just once across those five fixtures. That is not a blip. That is a structural problem.
Athletic Club are not in sparkling form themselves — two wins and three defeats in their last five — but the character of their results differs sharply. They beat Deportivo Alavés 4-2 away and saw off Osasuna 1-0 at home. The losses, to Atlético Madrid (2-3 away), Villarreal (0-2 at home) and Valencia (0-1 at home) last weekend, came against sides with genuine European ambitions. They arrive in Cornellà with a 44-point tally and a ninth-place standing, with nothing riding on this beyond pride and momentum.
For Espanyol, the arithmetic is altogether more desperate. They have no points recorded in the standings summary, with their league position listed as null. Whatever their actual situation, this is a side whose form suggests relegation danger is very real.
Key Players to Watch
Espanyol
Marko Dmitrovic has been the one constant in a difficult season. The goalkeeper has made 123 saves in 35 appearances, ranking second in La Liga only to Aarón Escandell. That volume tells its own story about the defensive exposure Espanyol have faced all season. He will need to be at his best again here.
Pere Milla carries six league goals from 1,838 minutes of football, which makes him Espanyol’s primary attacking threat. He has attempted 45 shots in the league, putting 19 on target, and drawn 35 fouls. With Espanyol so starved of goals in recent weeks, whether Milla can rediscover his sharpness is the central question for the home side.
Tyrhys Dolan has contributed four assists and created six big chances this season, operating across 27 appearances with an average rating of 6.76. His ability to carry the ball forward — 165 progressive carries in the league — and win fouls in dangerous areas gives Espanyol a source of momentum when they need it most.
Athletic Club
Gorka Guruzeta is the visitor to watch. Nine league goals from 2,188 minutes, ranking 28th among all scorers in La Liga, with 60 shots and 24 on target. He has scored six of his goals from inside the box and won 70 aerial duels in the league. Against a side that has conceded with regularity, his physical presence and volume of effort make him the most dangerous man on the pitch.
Oihan Sancet complements Guruzeta with creativity from midfield. He has accumulated 24 key passes and 40 shots in 28 appearances, with an average rating of 6.64. His ability to arrive in the box — 59 touches in the opposition area — adds a second attacking dimension that Espanyol’s defence will struggle to track.
Mikel Jauregizar anchors Athletic’s midfield with a season that reads 57 tackles, 40 interceptions, and 1,062 passes completed — ranking 73rd in La Liga for passing volume and 25th for tackles. He is the engine through which Athletic control the tempo of matches, and his ability to win the ball and recycle it quickly will be critical in managing an Espanyol side that may chase the game.
Season Stats Comparison
The individual statistical leaders reveal a clear gulf in attacking output. Guruzeta’s nine goals for Athletic compare to Milla’s six for Espanyol. More telling is the goalkeeping data: Dmitrovic’s 123 saves ranks second in the entire division, a figure that reflects how frequently Espanyol have been under siege. Unai Simón, Athletic’s keeper, has made 96 saves and kept six clean sheets, suggesting Athletic’s defence is considerably more solid.
| Stat | Espanyol | Athletic Club |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Pere Milla (6) | Gorka Guruzeta (9) |
| Top Assister | Edu Expósito (6) | Iñaki Williams (4) |
| Goalkeeper Saves | Marko Dmitrovic (123, 2nd) | Unai Simón (96, 11th) |
| Top Tackler | Omar El Hilali (53, 35th) | Mikel Jauregizar (57, 25th) |
| Top Passer | Omar El Hilali (941) | Mikel Jauregizar (1,062) |
| Top Chance Creator | Tyrhys Dolan (6 big chances) | Gorka Guruzeta (5 big chances) |
| Pre-Match Points | N/A | 44 (9th) |
Dmitrovic’s save tally being second in La Liga while Simón ranks 11th underlines the fundamental imbalance: one goalkeeper has been perpetually busy, the other has been shielded by a more organised defence. That context matters enormously when the two sides meet on Wednesday.
Head to Head
The last three meetings between these sides offer little psychological comfort for either. Espanyol have not won any of them, with Athletic claiming one victory and the other two ending in draws. The most recent encounter, at Athletic’s ground in December 2025, finished 1-1. No dominant narrative, no clear psychological edge — just a tight, unresolved series that could go either way on its own terms.
Stakes and Implications
Athletic Club sit ninth with 44 points and the season winding down. For them, this is a match to finish the campaign with some dignity and momentum, nothing more existential than that.
For Espanyol, the picture is far bleaker. Their form of zero wins, one draw and four defeats in their last five matches, combined with a season of making their goalkeeper the second-busiest shot-stopper in the division, suggests a club that has been in survival mode for months. A home defeat here would deepen the crisis. A win, however improbable given recent evidence, would be the most significant result of their season.
The RCDE Stadium has not witnessed a home victory in what feels like an eternity of recent results. The supporters know it. The players know it. Whether that weight crushes them or finally galvanises them is the question Wednesday evening will answer.
Espanyol’s season has been defined by Dmitrovic’s heroics between the posts and a chronic inability to score at the other end. Against a visiting side that carries Guruzeta’s aerial threat, Sancet’s creativity, and Jauregizar’s midfield control, the home side need something they have not produced in five matches: a goal, and the belief that comes with it. Athletic have their own inconsistencies to paper over after three defeats in their last five. But inconsistency is a luxury. For Espanyol, the margin for error has long since disappeared.