Athletic already knows its league calendar. This time the classic Tourmalet from previous seasons is not waiting for you. A demanding itinerary, yes, one of the so-called legbreakers. Here are six details of it.
Barça plays first at home and Madrid away
Athletic starts its league journey at home against Barça, in the match that will see the red-and-white fans return to the stands of San Mamés. The visit of Real Madrid, on the other hand, will arrive on matchday 21, just a few days after the Super Cup. The Camp Nou clash is set for matchday 26 and the Bernabéu for matchday 9.
Sevilla and Betis visit San Mamés often
Athletic will have to receive consecutively the two First team from Seville. The duel against Sevilla will coincide with matchday 17 and then that of Betis will arrive. This duel against the Verdiblancos, scheduled for the weekend of Sunday December 19, will be the last game of this year in San Mamés.
Same order in first and second round
The first derby of the season for the lions will be against Alavés in San Mamés on matchday 8. Four later will be the visit to Anoeta and at the close of the first round, matchday 19, to El Sadar. The start of the second will take place in Mendizorrotza and Real will play in Bilbao on matchday 25 and Osasuna on matchday 37, the last at the Bilbao stadium.
A couple of 'doublets' with the three Basques in dispute
Athletic will have to face two consecutive league games away from San Mamés on a couple of occasions. The first will arrive in the margin of four days. On matchday 11 he visits the field of the recently promoted Espanyol and on matchday 12, at the end of October, to Anoeta. The closing of 2021 will be in El Sadar and in the beginning of 2022 it will be time to move to Mendizorrotza.
Three times of two consecutive dates at home
Athletic will have to face three consecutive ‘doubles’ appointments in San Mamés throughout the new League. The first of them will arrive at the end of the first round (Sevilla matchday 19 and Betis matchday 19). The second (Getafe and Elche) on matchdays 29 and 30. The third and last on 34 and 35 with Atlético de Madrid and Valencia as rivals.
The meringues arrive in Bilbao after the Super Cup
Real Madrid will be the first visitor to San Mamés in 2022. The meeting against the meringues will come a week after the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. The lions have been paired with Atlético de Madrid and the whites with Barça. If they passed the crossing, they would both face each other in the grand final and a few days later in the San Mamés classic.