La Liga · Spain
Right. Let me set the scene for you.
You've got Athletic Club sitting 11th in La Liga. You've got Celta Vigo sitting 6th. Between them this season, they have scored 77 goals and conceded 85. That is not a typo. That is not a rounding error. That is just... the reality of what we are dealing with here on Sunday 17 May 2026 at San Mamés Barria.
I am absolutely buzzing for this one.
Look at the Numbers (Yes, Even I Did)
I actually looked at the numbers for once and mate, they are telling a very clear story. Athletic Club have scored 33 goals this season but have shipped 45. Celta Vigo have put 44 past keepers but have let in 40 themselves. So we've got a home side that struggles to keep things tight, hosting a Celta team that loves to score but is no great shakes at the back either.
Look at the fixtures. Both teams have had season-long issues defensively. This is not a new thing. This is baked in. This is who they are. And honestly? That suits me just fine when I'm sitting there building my Sunday acca.
If xG... and look, I'll be honest, I don't fully understand xG, some bloke explained it to me once and I nodded along and then went home and watched highlights instead... but even if xG told you this was going to be a cagey 0-0, I would still say nah mate, watch the actual football. These two teams just do not do cagey.
Athletic Club: Leaky but Alive at San Mamés
Athletic Club are 11th. That is a mid-table finish, more or less. But here is the thing about Athletic, right, they are never boring. San Mamés Barria is one of the great atmospheres in European football and the crowd drags this team forward. They press, they run, they work. The problem is that 45 goals conceded is a lot. That is nearly one and a half goals per game on average. They have been generous to opponents all season.
33 goals scored at the other end is decent enough. It is not flashy. It is not Celta's total. But it means Athletic are not just sitting back and hoping. They want to play forward. They want to attack. And at home, with the Basque faithful behind them, they tend to back themselves to outscore you rather than shut you out.
That is a mentality that makes them great fun to watch. It also makes them a nightmare to back on a clean sheet market.
Celta Vigo: Sixth Place and Fancy
Now then. Celta Vigo in sixth is genuinely impressive. 44 goals scored is the better of the two attacking records here, and it tells you they are a team that creates. They move the ball. They find space. They are the kind of side that Rafa would absolutely love to wax lyrical about, all intricate passing and little triangles and... yeah but did they win though, Rafa.
And the answer for Celta this season is, often enough, yes. Sixth place does not happen by accident. They have quality going forward and they have been consistent enough to sit comfortably in the top half.
But 40 goals conceded is not a clean bill of health defensively. That is still the second worst record in this particular fixture between two teams that cannot stop the other side scoring. Look at the fixtures. Celta have found it tough to keep clean sheets on the road all season. Heading to San Mamés, a ground that gets loud and gets behind the home team, is not going to make that easier.
The Jay Thompson Big Prediction
Okay. Here is where I put my neck on the line. As per tradition.
I'm going big on this. Both teams to score... that feels like an absolute certainty to me. Not a prediction, more of a statement of fact. 33 scored for Athletic, 44 for Celta, both with leaky defences. Both Teams to Score is basically the only responsible call here. Don't @ me.
In terms of the result, this is a tough one. Celta are the better team on paper, sixth versus eleventh says that clearly. But Athletic at San Mamés Barria is a different proposition to Athletic away from home. The crowd is a factor. The intensity is a factor. This has draw written all over it if I'm being honest. One of those 2-2 or 3-2 jobs where everyone has a moment and nobody quite manages to hold on.
You heard it here first. Goals, chaos, vibes. Scenes at San Mamés.
The Saturday Special... on a Sunday
Right so obviously this is going in the acca. Obviously. It is legs-in-the-air stuff if it lands. I'm thinking BTTS, over 2.5 goals, and maybe a cheeky correct score punt on 2-2 because I am, at my core, a romantic.
Will it land? Honestly, my accas have a hit rate that would make a goalkeeper weep. Back to the drawing board is practically my catchphrase at this point. But this one... this one has got a feeling about it. Athletic vs Celta, 77 goals scored between them this season, meeting at a cauldron of an atmosphere on the final Sunday of the month.
Trust the process. And by process I mean completely ignoring all sensible advice and chucking a fiver on a five-fold.
Final Verdict
Athletic Club vs Celta Vigo on Sunday 17 May 2026 is a proper fixture. Two teams who love to attack, two defences that have been generous all season, a famous ground that will be rocking. Celta's sixth place form gives them the edge in quality but Athletic at home are never a team you can just brush aside.
Goals are coming. Madness is possible. I would not miss this one for the world.