Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao
Two teams that have been on a roll lately are set to square off at the Mestalla as Valencia host Athletic Bilbao in one of the marquee La Liga games this weekend.
Athletic Bilbao are now in third place because they’re in a rich vein of form, going undefeated since losing to Barcelona in late October.
Five notches below them are where Valencia currently stand, which is a marked improvement from last season, when they were in danger of being relegated (16th place). Similar to Los Leones, Los Che have yet to lose a league game since early December against Getafe.
Both sides are aiming to make it to Europe next season, but Athletic Bilbao are on pace to do so, while Valencia still have a long way to go.
Talking points
Duro and Guerra make Valencia viable
Valencia’s success can be attributed to the rise of Hugo Duro and Javi Guerra, who are two of the most underrated youngsters that we have in the league today.
These two play at different positions, with striker Duro leading the team with eight goals, while midfielder Guerra is right behind him with four goals and one assist.
After struggling to find form last season with Los Che, Duro has taken over as the team’s No. 9, a role left by Edinson Cavani, who left for Boca Juniors last year.
And head coach Ruben Baraja’s decision to change their formation to a 4-4-2 has worked wonders for the former Real Madrid man since Duro has formed a great front partnership with 21-year-old Diego Lopez, who currently has three goals and four assists under his belt.
As for Guerra, there’s a reason why Valencia placed a hefty release clause on his current contract. Other than scoring and creating goals for Los Che, the 20-year-old has a high work rate, and he is a combative presence in midfield.
Now that they’re out of the Copa del Rey after losing to Celta Vigo last night, Valencia can turn their full focus to earning a spot in Europe in La Liga this season, and Duro and Guerra will play a huge role.
No Inaki, no problem for Athletic Bilbao
Los Leones supporters had the right to feel worried when Inaki Williams was called up for the AFCON, but in their last three games (including two in the Copa del Rey), they have shown that they are capable of winning without their iron man.
Head coach Ernesto Valverde has Iker Munlain, Asier Villalibre, and Alex Berenguer to thank for that, as they’ve taken turns filling in for their leading scorer.
Villalibre recorded a brace in their 3-0 win against Eibar and 2-0 win against Alaves last night. Berenguer also scored twice in their 2-1 victory against Real Sociedad, while Munlain joined Villalibre on the scoresheet against Eibar.
Other than the three, Athletic Bilbao still has Inaki’s brother, Nico Williams, who will also do his part since he is with the Spanish national team, not with Ghana.
History
Valencia have a score to settle with Athletic Bilbao because they haven’t beaten them in any of their last eight La Liga matches (D5, L3), including a four-game undefeated run at the Mestalla for the latter (W2, D2).
Two consecutive victories at the Mestalla are the same number of wins as Athletic Bilbao’s previous 31 La Liga away matches against Valencia (W2, D9, L20).
Earlier this season, Los Leones and Los Che had a 2-2 draw at San Mames, which saw Oscar De Marcos and Alex Berenguer scoring for the hosts and Fran Perez and Hugo Duro scoring for the visitors.
Valencia haven’t had four straight wins in La Liga since April 2018 under Marcelino Garcia Toral (W5).
On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao haven’t won five straight La Liga games since Ernesto Valverde’s previous stint at the helm in March 2015 (W5).
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2024 odds here at SBOTOP indicate that it’s going to be a close fight between Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, despite their sizeable gap in the standings. While Athletic Bilbao are at 2.21, Valencia are not far behind at 3.08 odds, and a draw is at 3.07 in the 1X2 market.
These two teams are capable of putting up new La Liga 2024 highlights on Saturday, which has been the case in their recent encounters, and Over 2.50 at 2.11 looks like a solid bet.
Total Goal 4-6 at 3.86 is also worth considering. Meanwhile, a Correct Score of 2-2 – the result of their reverse fixture – is being offered at a staggering 16.50.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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