Eibar against Athletic Bilbao

Eibar welcomes Athletic Bilbao in a game from the 33rd round of the Spanish La Liga.We could say that Eibar is one of the pleasant surprises in La Liga this season. Jose Mendilibar’s  team not just secured its survival in the league a long time ago, but they also have a realistic chance to qualify for Europa League for the first time in their history. Eibar is currently 8th in the standings of La Liga, being on just three points behind the 6th Athletic Bilbao.Something which makes the match between these two teams on Monday night so important.As for Athletic Bilbao, The Basques are currently placed in the Europa League zone, but they have to keep this place in the remaining rounds of the season. They have won three of their last four games, losing only against Villarreal, so we could say that Ernesto Valverde’s side is showing some good form lately. But the same could be said about Eibar as well because they have also won three of their last four matches in the league.The home team will be without the services of injured Fran Rico and Takashi Inui, while Florian Lejeune is suspended for one game. Antonio Luna Rodriguez, Pedro Leon, Ivan Ramis, Ruben Peña, Anaitz Zabala Arbilla, Imanol Sarriegi and Nano are all doubtful for the home team, so it’s clear that Mendilibar has a lot of problems to deal with.As for Athletic, Ernesto Valverde welcomes back the recovered Aitor Seguin, but Mikel Balenziaga, Alex Remiro and Raul Garcia remain under a question for The Basques.It would be a really great achievement for Eibar, if they manage to qualify for the next edition of Europa League. This team usually fights for its survival, but now they can make something really historical. And if they manage to beat the tough team of Athletic Bilbao, it would be a great step towards this direction.