The 'Yellow Submarine' will visit Bilbao for the thirty-first league matchday, where their sole victory in the last thirteen league encounters occurred in 2018. During this period, Villarreal has suffered seven defeats and drawn five times, with a recent 2-0 loss.

Villarreal's most recent win at San Mamés dates back to September 26, 2018, during the sixth matchday of the 2018-19 season. Under the management of Javi Calleja, the team won 0-3 with goals from Pablo Fornals, Funes Mori, and Toko Ekambi. Before this, the last triumph was in 2011.

Villarreal's last visit to Athletic was on December 8, 2024, in matchday 16 of the previous league season. In that game, Marcelino García Toral's team, who were fourth with 27 points, lost 2-0 to Ernesto Valverde's Athletic, who were fifth with 26 points.

Athletic's goals were scored by Aitor Paredes in the 14th minute and Iñaki Williams in the 69th minute. During the match, visiting goalkeeper Diego Conde suffered an injury and was replaced by Luiz Júnior, who made his First Division debut. Gerard Moreno also sustained an injury in the final minutes.

The overall record of the 25 league matches played between both teams at San Mamés shows six victories for Villarreal, eight draws, and eleven wins for Athletic Club.