Match story
- Athletic Club fired more attempts (14 vs 11 shots).
- Athletic Club was more accurate in front of goal (50% on target vs 27%).
Athletic Club defeated Villarreal 2-1 in La Liga. The fixture is part of the Regular Season - 10 stage in the 2021 season. The match was played at San Mamés Barria in Bilbao. Guillermo Cuadra officiated the match. The full-time result capped a Athletic Club vs Villarreal meeting in La Liga with detailed post-match statistics available on Sportra. This match centre covers lineups, live events, player ratings, team statistics, xG, head-to-head history, and related news for Athletic Club and Villarreal. On Sportra you can view xG, lineups, match statistics, events, player ratings, predictions, head-to-head history, and related news for this fixture.
La LigaRecorded meetings: 7 (available previous meetings, not necessarily all-time).
No prediction, odds, or comparable team statistics are available for this fixture yet. When Sportra has model probabilities and market prices, they will appear here as interactive charts.
With the friendly against China collapsing, Lionel Scaloni is reportedly set to release the first Argentina squad list of the post-Lionel Messi era in the coming days. Lionel Messi‘s retirement announcement marked the end of a historic era for the Argentina national team, but the program must push forward as the Albiceleste begin laying the groundwork for the 2030 World Cup cycle. With an upcoming international break on the horizon, head coach Lionel Scaloni is reportedly preparing to release his first post-Messi squad list in the coming days, even as proposed exhibition fixtures in China have collapsed. The 2026 World Cup cycle has reshaped the international calendar, with FIFA implementing an extended autumn window that allows national teams to schedule up to four matches between late September and early October. Under contract through December 2026, Scaloni remains at the helm to oversee Argentina‘s transition period into the new international cycle. According to reporting from ESPN Argentina insider Federico Bueno, Scaloni will formally present his 26-man roster to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) this Sunday. While Scaloni has managed individual matches without Messi in the past, this submission represents the first official squad selection where the Inter Miami star is permanently unavailable. Argentina’s tour in China collapses Initial plans called for Argentina to travel to Asia for a high-profile tour featuring a friendly against China‘s national team, but negotiations stalled after Chinese organizers insisted on guarantees regarding Messi’s participation. Following the legendary forward’s official departure from international duty, discussions between the parties completely dissolved. Gracias eternas, Leo. Te vamos a amar hasta el final de nuestros días 🩵🤍🩵 pic.twitter.com/7VVV2doDZP— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) August 31, 2026 Journalistic reports indicate that Argentina will instead play their upcoming slate of friendlies on home soil, though official opponents have not yet been formally confirmed by the federation. While the expanded FIFA window allows for up to four fixtures, the AFA currently has three matches finalized on the calendar. Two of the host venues are set for the capital city of Buenos Aires, with River Plate’s El Monumental and Boca Juniors’ La Bombonera serving as primary sites. The third match is expected to be hosted in an interior province, with a potential fourth fixture slated for the same regional venue. Which 2026 World Cup finalists will be missing? The AFA executive board and Scaloni are yet to meet to determine whether the manager will sign an extension through the next cycle or step aside. In the interim, Scaloni must establish the core of a revamped roster moving toward the 2030 tournament, with several marquee figures from the 2026 World Cup final squad set to be absent. The most prominent omission is naturally Messi, whose announcement on Monday ended a legendary 20-year career with the senior national team. Another crucial leadership void comes in central defense following Nicolas Otamendi‘s decision to step away from international play, which he confirmed prior to the summer tournament. Midfielder Leandro Paredes also cast doubt on his international future, acknowledging that “it’s going to be difficult to continue“ following Messi’s departure. Questions also surround Inter Miami midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who moved to Major League Soccer to team up with Messi ahead of the World Cup, as the physical demands of another cycle leave his status uncertain heading toward 2030, when he will be 36 years old.
It was rather telling that Matias Fernandez-Pardo was Newcastle United's final signing of a rollercoaster summer. On the same afternoon, Newcastle announced that towering club-record signing Nick Woltemade had finalised his loan move to Juventus, having only joined the club last summer. Captain Bruno Guimaraes was among a handful of key players to leave, while eight new signings arrived, as Newcastle's records for spending and sales in a single window were both smashed.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has praised Arsenal’s transfer window despite some criticism from the club’s fans. The Gunners brought in some exciting new players earlier in the window, but there was a lack of activity late on that arguably leaves them a little light in attack. Still, Ferdinand believes it has to go down […] The post Rio Ferdinand praises Arsenal transfers, including “one of the bargains of the season” appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Julian Alvarez will remain at Atletico Madrid for at least the next six months, closing the door on a move to Barcelona, who have instead agreed to sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal. One of the longest-running transfer sagas of the European window has finally reached its conclusion, as Julian Alvarez will not be leaving Atletico Madrid this summer. The Argentine forward is set to continue his career at the club for at least the next six months, with any potential move now pushed to the January transfer window. The resolution comes after Atletico dug in and refused to negotiate with Barcelona, while Alvarez himself also rejected the idea of a return to the Premier League with Arsenal wanting the striker. As a result, Diego Simeone will continue to count on the Argentine for the first half of the season, with Alvarez already back training alongside his teammates as he looks to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup, after a limited start to the campaign that included just a handful of minutes in the draw with Villarreal. Beyond fighting for his place on the pitch, Alvarez will also need to navigate a strained relationship with a section of the fanbase, who booed him during his last appearance and unveiled banners at the Metropolitano calling for his exit. Nueva sesión de entrenamiento 💪🏼¡A por el siguiente reto: Athletic Club! 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/QaJyI6LhpO— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) August 30, 2026 Looking ahead to the next transfer window, Atletico have set their asking price for the forward at €150 million, with the added condition that they won’t sell him to a direct rival like Barcelona. Barcelona’s move for Gabriel Jesus With Alvarez off the table, Barcelona moved quickly elsewhere, agreeing a deal with Arsenal for Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Catalan club will pay around €10 million to sign the former Manchester City striker, who is expected to travel to Spain in the coming hours to undergo a medical and finalize his contract. For Arsenal, the pursuit of Alvarez ultimately came up empty, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements before the transfer window closes. Barcelona, meanwhile, wasted no time pivoting to Gabriel Jesus once it became clear Alvarez wasn’t walking through the door, wrapping up their own search for a new No. 9 just as their rivals for his signature moved on.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes Eddie Howe's departure from Newcastle United this summer acted as a catalyst for a transitional period at St James' Park. Since the end of the 2025-26 season, the Magpies have also lost the services of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal. "Newcastle were the ones who chose to get rid of their manager this summer, in my opinion," Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
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