Close in the mid-table rankings in La Liga; Valencia will be looking to break away from Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla Stadium. The match schedules for Wednesday with kickoff at 20:30 GMT.
Valencia has been on a rollercoaster since the La Liga restart managing to secure only one win. A 2-0 win over Osasuna was enough to elevate the team’s status after a devastating start to the restart campaign.
The side recently suffered a 2-0 defeat to their arch-rivals Villareal which set the team back with 46 points on the table. This weekend is a must-win for Coach Celades with stiff competition from Granada with 43 points.
Athletic Bilbao had a worse start to their La Liga campaign with injury woes coasting the side a top-four finish. The restart was enough to revitalize the camp with some impressive performances shown by the side.
The side had an encouraging start to the La Liga restart with a 1-0 win over Real Betis. However, the side fell victim to a 1-0 loss to the Catalan Giants. The side recovered with a 3-1 win over side Mallorca.
Both teams have less than 2.5 goals since the restart. Valencia still contends with a two losing streak as they welcome the side.
Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao Head to Head
Both sides have 30 games between them with Valencia taking home 13 wins and Bilbao contend with nine wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Valencia
Valencia 2-0 Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Valencia
Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Valencia
Valencia 3-2 Athletic Bilbao
Valencia 2-0 Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Valencia
Valencia 0-3 Athletic Bilbao
Valencia Team News
The latest addition to the injury woes at the side includes a center back Mouctar Diakhaby who picked up a calf injury. Diakhaby joins right-back, Cristian Piccini, with a fractured kneecap and centre back Ezequiel Garay with a cruciate ligament rupture. A possible replacement will be Daniel Wass and Paulista who have been solid this season at the back.
Athletic Bilbao Team News
The recent injury at the club is central midfielder Benat Etxebarria who is out with muscular problems. A suited replacement for Coach Garitano will be a combination of Dani Garcia and Mikel Vesga.
Forward Inaki Williams is yet to regain his scoring form since the restart but makes contention in the starting lineup. Leading the attacking line will be Raul Garcia who has found the good books of coach Garitano.
Prediction and Odds
Both teams have a low expectation in terms of scoring; hence we expect a low scoring game.
Draw
Both Teams to Score
Goals Under 2.5
