Edin Terzic wants Athletic Club to treat Sunday’s derby against Real Sociedad as a test of nerve as much as football. Speaking on the eve of the match, he said these games are “full of emotions” and that his side must be “prepared for all of them,” with the first official derby of his Athletic Club tenure now only hours away.
That is why Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad is drawing attention now. Terzic said the match will also be his first night game at San Mamés, adding another layer to a fixture that already carries its own weight. He said Athletic Club must know when to show emotion and when to keep calm, because the derby will demand both at once.
The coach pointed to what he learned from the EH Txapela match in Anoeta on October 2, saying it showed him the game matters to both clubs. He also noted that Real Sociedad arrive in a good mood after four consecutive LaLiga wins, while Athletic Club are in good form too after scoring ten goals in their last week. For Terzic, that is the competitive backdrop to a rivalry that will not be decided by atmosphere alone.
He was equally direct about the opposition. Terzic said Pellegrino Matarazzo brought stability and clarity from the first moment, and he described Real Sociedad as a flexible side that like to press, can drop into a medium block and can counterattack. He said they are not easy to pin down to a 4-4-2 shape, which is why the derby is as tactical as it is emotional.
There is also a practical question around Athletic Club’s own shape. Terzic said Oihan Sancet has recovered, while Guruzeta and Ruiz de Galarreta are the only injury absences. That leaves the coach with more options than he has had at other points in the season, and with a derby on the line, how he uses Sancet will be one of the main things to watch.
Terzic’s past record against Matarazzo does not change that view. He said he won four of five meetings with him in the Bundesliga, but added that those results do not help him at all. In his words, a derby has to be won in the present, and that is the real test Athletic Club face on Sunday.
