Athletic Bilbao Matches Unwanted Defensive Record in 3-1 Loss to Sevilla in La Liga Opener

Athletic Bilbao began their La Liga season with a harsh 3-1 home defeat against Sevilla. The game took a bad turn early on when defender Yuri Berchiche was shown a straight red card just 11 minutes in. Reduced to ten men for over 80 minutes, Edin Terzic's team struggled to fend off the persistent Sevilla attack. This loss also meant they matched a negative defensive record from last year.

Defensive Weaknesses Highlighted

Last season, Athletic Bilbao only conceded three goals once at home, during a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid. That defensive strength quickly disappeared as Sevilla scored three times past goalkeeper Unai Simón thanks to goals by Oso, Chidera Ejuke, and Isaac Romero. The early red card was made worse by critical errors: Aitor Paredes gave away possession leading to a goal, Simón lost concentration for the opener, and Jesús Areso’s unfortunate backheel set up the third goal. Terzic now faces pressure to rebuild the solid defense that helped Simón win the Zamora Trophy in 2023-24 and allowed the fewest goals last season.

Growing Defensive Concerns

This opening-day setback echoes the defensive issues Athletic faced throughout the 2025-26 season, conceding 58 goals—the fifth worst record in the league. Although Aitor Paredes managed to score a consolation goal in the second half, the damage was done. Terzic must act fast to fix these problems if the Basque side wants to regain the defensive resilience that once made San Mamés tough to beat.

Upcoming Challenge Against Barcelona

Relief won’t come easily as Athletic Bilbao travels to face Barcelona this Thursday. Barcelona comes into the match with confidence after a 5-0 win over Elche in their opener. Their attack, featuring Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, and Dani Olmo, averaged 2.5 goals per game last season. Considering Athletic Bilbao kept only a few clean sheets last year and are dealing with a weakened squad, Terzic’s team faces a tough task to stop their early-season slide.

• Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao: 27 Aug 2026, 21:00
• Athletic Bilbao vs Sevilla: 29 Aug 2026, 21:30
• Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla: 29 Aug 2026, 21:30