In a high voltage match week 07 fixture, Athletic Bilbao will welcome Valencia CF at the San Mames Stadium. It will be the first of the 4 matches of 28th September. However, it will be a lunch time encounter. Athletic Bilbao will play this fixture just 3 days later of their visit to the Estadio Municipal de Butarque. In addition to this, it will be their 4th home game of the season. They will be fully confident about taking on Valencia at their abode, as they even beat defending champions Barcelona in this ground in their season opener.
On the contrary, Valencia CF will have a trip to the Bilbao following their home clash against Getafe at the Mestalla. In fact, they will play this road fixture after back to back home matches. Moreover, it will be their 3rd away game of the season. The Oranges didn’t make the great of the starts as they could only manage 1 point from their opening 2 fixtures. So they will be seeking for something special here.
Match Details:
- Participating Teams: Athletic Bilbao vs Valencia CF
- Competition: Spanish La Liga
- Match Week 07
- Date: 28th September, 2019
- Time: 12 pm BST/ 11 am GMT/ 1 pm Local Time
- Day: Saturday
- Venue: San Mames Stadium
- Location: Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
- Capacity: 53,289
- Surface: Grass
Athletic Bilbao Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Jokin Ezkieta, Iago Herrerin, Unai Simon.
- Defenders: Andony Lopez, Unai Nunez, Inigo Martinez, Yeray, Mikel San Jose, Yuri Berchiche, Inigo Lekue, Oscar de Marcos, Mikel Balenziaga.
- Midfielders: Cristian Ganea, Gaizka Larrazabal, Mikel Vesga, Inigo Cordoba, Benat, Dani Garcia, Ander Capa, Raul Garcia, Unai Lopez.
- Forwards: Aritz Aduriz, Ibai Gomez, Iker Muinain, Inaki Williams, Kenan Kodro, Gorka Guruzeta, Asier Villalibre, Peru Nolaskoain.
Valencia Squad:
- Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen, Jaume Domenech.
- Defenders: Gabriel, Mouctar Diakhaby, Jose Gaya, Daniel Wass, Cristian Piccini, Ezequiel Garay, Salvador Ruiz.
- Midfielders: Alvaro Medran, Maxi Gomez, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Carlos Soler, Dani Parejo, Kang-In Lee, Ferran Torres, Uros Racic, Francis Coquelin.
- Forwards: Manuel Vallejo, Goncalo Guedes, Denis Cheryshev, Jason, Ruben Sobrino, Kevin Gameiro, Rodrigo.
Athletic Bilbao Last 5 Matches (Up to the Writing Date) :
- 1-1 Draw vs Getafe
- 1-0 Win vs Barcelona
- 0-2 Defeat vs Sevilla
- 3-1 Win vs Celta de Vigo
- 0-1 Defeat vs Valladolid
Valencia Last 5 Matches (Up to the Writing Date) :
- 0-1 Defeat vs Celta Vigo
- 1-1 Draw vs Real Sociedad
- 2-1 Win vs Barcelona
- 2-0 Win vs Valladolid
- 3-1 Win vs Alaves
Predicted Result : Athletic Bilbao 2 – 1 Valencia
Match Preview : It is going to be a huge match. There will be immense pressure on both the sides. But Los Leones will play at their home and will get the crowd support behind them. They are in pretty form lately, made a good start in the league and playing quality football. Thus, they will certainly try to secure all 3 points from this fixture. So, I’m expecting an attacking tactics from Gaizka Garitano.
On the contrary, Valencia will be playing away from the home means they will be the underdogs. Moreover, they couldn’t make a great start to their campaign. So considering all these factors, Marcelino won’t risk playing in attacking mode. However, Valencia is known as the side for the big occasions. Thus, you can never say, that, they won’t look for a victory even away from the home.
Coming to the prediction, I’m smelling a brilliant match on the card. I also guess, both the sides will score in this game. Finally, my pick is a narrow 2-1 victory for the hosts.