Athletic Club won't play at San Mamés until October 25: a month-long away stretch

Athletic Club face a quiet start to October in Bilbao. The international break that began on Monday, and which lasts for three weeks, means the home fans will go more than a month without seeing their team at San Mamés. The next home fixture is set for October 25, with José Bordalás' Getafe visiting Bilbao.

• LaLiga stops for three weeks and will not resume until the weekend of October 10-11.
• Athletic have not played at San Mamés since the draw with Elche and will not do so again until October 25 against Getafe.
• Before that home game, Terzic's side face three straight away trips: Rayo Vallecano, Valencia and Levante.
• Athletic head into the break unbeaten in their last four matches, but with the feeling of having dropped points at home.
• Getafe, the next visitors to San Mamés, have the same eight points as Athletic with one more game played.

A three-week break: the longest in recent years

Domestic competition stops from Monday and the ball will not roll again until the weekend of October 10-11. It is a particularly long pause, the longest of recent seasons, and it groups together the breaks that in other campaigns were spread between September and October. International football now takes centre stage in the calendar.

For Spain, the national team faces four Nations League fixtures. England, the Czech Republic and Croatia on two occasions are the opponents for the Spanish side in this window. A packed schedule for the internationals and a complete void for the clubs, who must manage the inactivity before facing a decisive phase of the season.

A bittersweet feeling for Athletic before the pause

Terzic's team heads into the break with mixed emotions. They have not lost in their last four league matches, with wins over Celta Vigo and Atlético Madrid and draws against Elche and Alavés. However, those last two results left an uncomfortable feeling in Bilbao: the opponents sat deep and the hosts lacked the sharpness to break down crowded defences.

The lack of cutting edge against teams that play with a low block has become an unresolved issue. Athletic dominated possession and created chances, but could not find a way to turn that control into goals. A recurring problem that the coaching staff will need to fix during these weeks without competitive football.

Three consecutive away games: Rayo, Valencia and Levante

The quirks of the fixture list had already scheduled two consecutive away trips for Athletic. The situation became more complicated with the postponement of the match that should have been played last Wednesday at the Ciutat de València against Levante, due to the poor state of the pitch. That setback has extended the sequence to three matches away from San Mamés.

The away run will begin on October 10 with the trip to Rayo Vallecano, a match that all indications suggest will be played at Vallecas. After that, on Saturday 10, the Bilbao side will travel to Mestalla to face Valencia, who currently sit in the relegation zone. The series will close with the clash against Levante, who lost in the previous round to Iñigo Pérez's Villarreal. The Granotas have five points and are in desperate need of a result.

Getafe, the next visitors to San Mamés

The home faithful will have to wait until October 25 to fill the stands at San Mamés again. That day brings José Bordalás' Getafe, a side with a very defined profile that has already shown its ability to compete with few goals. The Madrid outfit have the same eight points as Athletic, although with one more game played.

The Azulones arrive on the back of two wins, two draws and three defeats in the opening weeks of the league season. A record that reflects the inconsistency of a team that, nonetheless, usually makes life difficult for opponents on the road. The match shapes up as a demanding test of Athletic's ability to impose themselves at home against well-organised defensive blocks.

What Athletic have at stake in this stretch of the calendar

The three consecutive away games come at a delicate moment of the season. If the team manages to pick up points on the road, the return to San Mamés will become an opportunity to consolidate a place in the upper part of the table. If results do not go their way, the pressure will shift to a home match against Getafe that looks crucial for recovering form.

The calendar offers no respite after the break. Athletic need to show a more clinical version away from San Mamés, a setting where they have historically struggled to maintain consistency. The games against Rayo, Valencia and Levante will test the group's ability to adapt to very different contexts: an intense opponent at Vallecas, a desperate team at Mestalla and a wounded Levante looking to bounce back.