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La Liga feature: Five players to watch out for in Basque derby

There have been 143 La Liga Basque derbies to date, with Athletic winning 58 times, Real 48, and 37 draws.

There have been 143 La Liga Basque derbies to date, with Athletic winning 58 times, Real 48 and the remaining ties ending in a stalemate.

Bengaluru, February 2: The Basque Derby between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club Bilbao is one of the highlights of this weekend's La Liga fixtures which sees a lot of emotional reunions and healthy rivalries.

The match will kick off at 8.45PM IST on Saturday (February 2) at San Sebastian Stadium.

It will be streamed live and exclusively on Facebook.

La Liga fixtures | Results | Points table | Special feature

There have been 143 La Liga Basque derbies to date, with Athletic winning 58 times, Real 48, and 37 draws.

As the stage is set for the latest Basque derby, myKhel.com looks at five players who can make a difference.

Inaki Williams

Inaki Williams

The Athletic winger is a perennial danger thanks to his extreme pace and his ability to beat defenders.

Williams is one of the most in-form forward in La Liga right now, with seven goals on the season so far.

Mikel Oyarzabal

Mikel Oyarzabal

The man from Eibar is Real Sociedad's response to Williams.

Aged just 21, he scored 12 La Liga goals last season, including one against Athletic, and assisted seven more.

Away from football, he balances his time studying for a Business degree at the nearby University of Deusto.

Inigo Martinez

Inigo Martinez

The Spain international centre-back spent his entire career with Real Sociedad until switching his allegiances by joining Athletic midway through last season.

He will be taking part in his 16th derby, his third with Athletic.

Asier Illarramendi

Asier Illarramendi

The Real Sociedad captain bleeds blue and white and loves nothing more than seeing his team get one over their rivals.

He played in his first Basque derby in 2011 and remains just as passionate about this fixture eight years on.

Ibai Gomez

Ibai Gomez

Gomez, a Bilbao native, returned to his hometown club this month after a highly successful two-year stint at fellow Basque side Alaves.

His ballplaying abilities will serve him well as he looks to slot into the midfield and help Athletic recover from their slow start to the season under new coach Gaizka Gaitano.

Story first published: Saturday, February 2, 2019, 14:07 [IST]
Other articles published on Feb 2, 2019