Valencia CF

vs

Athletic Bilbao

Preview

Valencia

• Valencia are 20th in LaLiga 2026/2027 after 7 rounds of matches with just 4 points on the board.
• Javier Aguirre's arrival on 23 September 2026 has done little to stem Valencia CF's poor form, with Los Che now 20th in LaLiga 2026/2027 after picking up just 4 points from their 7 games this season.
• They come into this match with just 1 win and 4 defeats in their last 5 across all competitions, but a 2-3 home defeat to Real Sociedad last weekend was perhaps their most worrying result of the season so far.

Athletic Bilbao

• Athletic Bilbao are 10th with 8 points on the board and are unbeaten in their last 5 matches.
• Away win at Alaves was the only silver lining, but this trip to Valencia will be even tougher for Los Leones, who have won 2 of their 3 most recent visits to Valencia's Mestalla home.
• Aguirre's Valencia are pragmatic to the core and the Mexican boss is simply trying to get the team compact and capable of surviving as long as possible.

Head-to-Head

• Los Leones have won 2 of their 3 most recent visits to Valencia's Mestalla home.
• While Valencia's home record in the LaLiga 2026/2027 campaign is 0-1-3 with 0.50 goals per game scored and 2.25 conceded, Athletic have been more solid away from home, winning one and losing one in two games with an average of 1.00 away goal per game.

Key Players

• Robert Navarro is the team's leading scorer in LaLiga 2026/2027, bagging 2 goals in 5 games, and he provides the sharpest edge to Athletic's game in the final third.
• Athletic Bilbao's 4-3-3, led by high-pressing Edin Terzic, is exactly the opposite as the visitors always look to add tempo and get players into the half-spaces to cause damage in transition.

Betting Insights

• There is a nice contrast of styles here that should ensure that Valencia are outnumbered, but Athletic are the slightly favoured team at 2.08, compared to Valencia's 3.4 and the 3.4 draw.
• Under 2.5 goals looks tempting given Valencia's struggles and Athletic's organized structure, with under 2.5 goals available around 1.8.

Prediction

• Backing Athletic Bilbao to edge this one seems the way to go, although Valencia's desperation at home might keep this game tight and low-scoring.
• While Valencia's home record is poor and Athletic have been steadier on the road, expect a cautious contest where Athletic just have the margin to take something from Mestalla.