Athletic Bilbao welcome Valencia to the San Mamés Barria Stadium in their upcoming La Liga fixture on Sunday.
The home team kicked off their league campaign with a goalless draw against Mallorca last week. Meanwhile, Valencia were able to secure a narrow 1-0 win over Girona thanks to Carlos Soler's penalty in first-half injury time. They were reduced to 10 men after Eray Cömert was red-carded in the second half but held onto their narrow lead.
The hosts were one of the seven teams that failed to open their goalscoring account on the opening day of the season and will be looking to score at least a goal here.
Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia Head-to-Head
The two teams have crossed paths 186 times across all competitions. The fixture has been closely contested between the two sides, with the visitors having a narrow 72-66 lead in wins while 48 games have ended in draws.
They met four times last season, twice in La Liga and twice in the Copa del Rey. Three games ended in draws while Valencia were able to secure a 1-0 win in one of the cup fixtures.
Four of the last five meetings between the two sides at San Mames have ended in draws.
Athletic Bilbao form guide (all competitions): D
Valencia form guide (all competitions): W
Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia Team News
Athletic Bilbao
Iñigo Martínez and Mikel Balenziaga, who missed the campaign opener with injuries, were still absent from the training and will continue their recoveries. Julen Agirrezabala has a hand injury and his involvement remains doubtful.
Injured: Iñigo Martínez, Mikel Balenziaga
Doubtful: Julen Agirrezabala
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Valencia
Gabriel Paulista and Marcos André missed the campaign opener for Los Che but have resumed training since. Eray Cömert's red card against Girona will keep him out of the game due to a suspension.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Eray Cömert
Unavailable: None
Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia Predicted XIs
Athletic Bilbao (4-4-2): Unai Simon (GK); Yuri Berchiche, Dani Vivian, Yeray Alvarez, Oscar De Marcos; Oier Zarraga, Dani Garcia, Iker Muniain, Alex Berenguer; Raul Garcia, Inaki Williams
Valencia (4-3-2-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK); Thierry Correia, Mouctar Diakhaby, Jesús Vázquez, Cristian Rivero; Carlos Soler, Yunus Musah, Hugo Guillamón; Hugo Duro, Samu Castillejo; Maxi Gomez
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Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia Prediction
The recent meetings between the two teams have produced a lot of draws and, with the two sides just getting warmed up for the season, another stalemate might ensue here.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Valencia