Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao

Estadio de Mestalla is the venue as Valencia and Athletic Bilbao go head-to-head in an intriguing La Liga fixture.

Valencia’s decision to sack underperforming manager Gennaro Gattuso in the wake of a 1-0 defeat at Real Valladolid in late January hasn’t produced the desired effect, with ‘Los Che’ losing their two following La Liga matches under interim manager Voro. Having suffered three straight top-flight losses ‘to nil’ for only the second time in three years, the hosts languish only one point clear of the relegation zone at the start of this round. Bilbao’s visit to Mestalla threatens to pour more misery on Valencia, with ‘Los Murcielagos’ going winless in their last six league H2Hs (D4, L2). In addition to drawing a blank in their two most recent top-flight H2H (D1, L1), Valencia found themselves on the receiving end of a 3-1 scoreline in Copa del Rey in January.

On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao responded to a frustrating 1-0 defeat at Celta Vigo with an overwhelming 4-1 home triumph over Cadiz last weekend to stay within touching distance of European placings. Indeed, they come into this round trailing fourth-placed Atletico Madrid by six points, meaning a first top-four finish since 2013/14. But if they’re to remain relevant in a closely-fought race for Champions League spots, addressing an underwhelming seven-game winless league run on the road (D3, L4) is a necessity. Ernesto Valverde’s men have lost their last two La Liga away matches and could make it three defeats in a row under his tutelage for the first time since 2017.