Valencia vs Athletic Club predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as these clubs meet for the second time in 2023.
| Date | Saturday 11th February 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (CET) |
| Stadium | Mestalla |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Valencia vs Athletic Club Preview
LaLiga’s Saturday action ends at Mestalla where Athletic Club are the visitors. The sides met here only a couple of weeks ago in the Copa del Rey and the Basques were convincing winners on that occasion with Gennaro Gattuso since departing Valencia.
In short, Valencia are in all kinds of trouble right now. Caretaker boss Voro has lost both matches since taking over and it’s unclear whether the club will keep faith with him in the short to medium term, or whether they will look to appoint a new coach. There won’t exactly be a long queue of men lining up to take on the task of working for Peter Lim or guiding a team that looks devoid of confidence having taken just 1 point from their last 6 league games.
The last 3 were all away from home so it’s going to be really interesting to see what kind of crowd reaction we get from Valencia fans here. There has been talk of more boycotts and fresh protests seem inevitable here with some fans potentially only taking their seats after the first 20 minutes. This relatively young team is going to need as much backing as possible though, both in this game and for the remainder of the season.
Athletic Club will be hoping for a mutinous atmosphere and will take confidence from their impressive recent cup win here. They also rediscovered the goal touch last time out, hammering Cadiz 4-1 at San Mames to record what was their first victory in LaLiga since the World Cup.
Ernesto Valverde will be hoping his side have now come through their worst spell of the season following defeats against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid and Celta Vigo. He did something he has been reluctant to do last time out, by picking both Iker Muniain and Oihan Sancet in midfield and the move certainly paid off with Sancet netting a hat-trick to add to his growing reputation as one of the standout young players in Spain.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Valencia
| INJURED | Domenech, Nico Gonzalez |
| DOUBTFUL | Correia |
| BANNED | Gabriel Paulista, Guillamon |
Possible XI: Mamardashvili – Gaya, Diakhaby, Comert, Foulquier – Almeida, Ilaix, Musah – Lino, Cavani, Castillejo (4-3-3)
Coach: Voro
Athletic Club
| INJURED | Inigo Martinez |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED | Yuri |
Possible XI: Simon – Lekue, Vivian, Yeray, De Marcos – Vesga, Muniain, Sancet – Berenguer, I. Williams, N. Williams (4-3-3)
Coach: Ernesto Valverde
Score Prediction: Valencia 0-2 Athletic Club
Valencia are a shambles on and off the pitch at the moment so you have to favour the visitors here. Athletic just look a much more dangerous side when Muniain and Sancet play and while that may make them slightly more vulnerable defensively, Valencia don’t look like they are in the best shape to take advantage here.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
