Athletic Club Vs Valencia: Athletic Chase Europe Against Valencia's Drop Fight
Athletic Club vs Valencia arrives on Sunday afternoon with Athletic eighth in La Liga and Valencia 12th but only three points above the relegation zone. That split puts both sides under pressure from opposite ends of the table, with Athletic level on points with seventh-placed Getafe and still in range of sixth.
Ernesto Valverde And Athletic
Athletic go in off a 4-2 win over Alaves, a result built around Nico Williams' two goals and Robert Navarro's impact off the bench. Ernesto Valverde also has 44 points from 34 matches to work with, and his side sit three points behind sixth-placed Celta Vigo and nine behind fifth-placed Real Betis.
Home numbers have been a real base for Athletic. They have taken 29 points from 17 home league matches this season, a stronger return than their overall position suggests, and they finished 29th in the league phase of this season's Champions League. Benat Prados is the only late fitness check from the information available.
Carlos Corberan's Valencia
Valencia arrive after a 2-0 home loss to Atletico Madrid, and that result keeps the margin narrow over the bottom three. Carlos Corberan could make three changes from that team, with Mouctar Diakhaby, Dimitri Foulquier, Copete, Thierry Correia and Julen Agirrezabala ruled out and Lucas Beltran a major doubt.
The away record is the harder problem. Valencia have 13 points from 17 away league matches, and their last away victory over Athletic came in September 2019. They also lost the reverse fixture 2-1 at home earlier this season, and they have lost three of their last four meetings with Athletic.
San Mamés And The Table
Those numbers leave little room for either side to drift. Athletic can keep pace with the teams above them by turning another home win into a run, while Valencia need to protect a margin that still leaves them looking over their shoulder.
For Valencia, the return to San Mamés carries the weight of that earlier 2-1 defeat and the recent away record against Athletic. For Athletic, the sharper question is whether the 4-2 win over Alaves was the start of a late push or just another brief lift in a season that has been difficult to steady.
