Athletic needed penalties to overcome Mallorca in last weekend's Copa del Rey final, with the Basque outfit winning the famous competition for the 25th time in their history.
The Lions will now switch their focus back to La Liga and their attempts to secure a top-four finish, with the Basque outfit looking to claim a Champions League spot for the first time since 2013-14.
Ernesto Valverde's side are currently fifth in the division, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Real Sociedad and two points behind fourth-placed Atletico, who also have Champions League football to think about.
Athletic recorded a 2-0 win over Alaves in their last match in front of their own supporters, but they suffered a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in their last fixture in Spain's top flight at the end of March.
The Basque side have the fifth-best home record in La Liga this season, claiming 36 points from 15 matches, and they will be welcoming a Villarreal outfit that have 19 points to show from their 14 away fixtures.
Villarreal
Villarreal, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 loss to Atletico on April 1, with the result ending a four-game winning run in Spain's top flight, which allowed them to rise up the table.
The Yellow Submarine currently sit 10th in the division, one point behind ninth-placed Osasuna, but they are 11 points from sixth-placed Real Sociedad, so securing European football for next term is highly unlikely.
Marcelino's side have been victorious in three of their last four away league games, remaining unbeaten in the process, with the wins coming against Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Real Betis.
Villarreal suffered a 3-2 defeat to Athletic in the reverse game between the two sides earlier this season, but they did record a 5-1 victory over the Lions towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
El Submarino Amarillo finished fifth last season, so there has been a huge drop-off this term, and their attention will already be switching to the 2024-25 campaign, where they will be attempting to challenge for a top-five position once again.
Athletic needed penalties to overcome Mallorca in last weekend's Copa del Rey final, with the Basque outfit winning the famous competition for the 25th time in their history.
The Lions will now switch their focus back to La Liga and their attempts to secure a top-four finish, with the Basque outfit looking to claim a Champions League spot for the first time since 2013-14.
Ernesto Valverde's side are currently fifth in the division, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Real Sociedad and two points behind fourth-placed Atletico, who also have Champions League football to think about.
Athletic recorded a 2-0 win over Alaves in their last match in front of their own supporters, but they suffered a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in their last fixture in Spain's top flight at the end of March.
The Basque side have the fifth-best home record in La Liga this season, claiming 36 points from 15 matches, and they will be welcoming a Villarreal outfit that have 19 points to show from their 14 away fixtures.
Villarreal
Villarreal, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 loss to Atletico on April 1, with the result ending a four-game winning run in Spain's top flight, which allowed them to rise up the table.
The Yellow Submarine currently sit 10th in the division, one point behind ninth-placed Osasuna, but they are 11 points from sixth-placed Real Sociedad, so securing European football for next term is highly unlikely.
Marcelino's side have been victorious in three of their last four away league games, remaining unbeaten in the process, with the wins coming against Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Real Betis.
Villarreal suffered a 3-2 defeat to Athletic in the reverse game between the two sides earlier this season, but they did record a 5-1 victory over the Lions towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
El Submarino Amarillo finished fifth last season, so there has been a huge drop-off this term, and their attention will already be switching to the 2024-25 campaign, where they will be attempting to challenge for a top-five position once again.
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