The last fixture of the La Liga program in round 13 figures to be a tantalizing one as Athletic Bilbao look to stay in the hunt for the Champions League with a home date against Valencia.
The Basque outfit, currently eighth on 20 points, were 4-1 winners at Almería week ago, and they also looked strong in a 3-0 Europa League victory on Thursday. They have won three of their last four league matches.
Valencia, which have just one win in their last 11 trips to San Mamés, are unbeaten in their last eight matches in the league, but they were held 1-1 by Mallorca last week. They did bounce back to beat Lille 3-1 in the Europa League on Wednesday.
Joaquín Caparrós' home side will not have midfielder Carlos Gurpegi because of injury, but the remainder of the squad is fit to face Valencia.
For Valencia and manager Unai Emery, things are not quite so easy. Striker David Silva is set to miss out with a ligament problem, and he is joined on the sidelines by Ever Banega with a suspension. Ex-Bilbao defender Asier del Horno, Miku, Vicente Rodríguez, and Manuel Fernandes are all set to miss out as well with continuing injury problems.
With all the injuries on the side of Valencia, this match could swing favorably for the home side. Look for the Basque to continue their dominance of Valencia at San Mamés.
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