Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao Predictions

• Valencia have drawn two of their last three home La Liga matches
• Athletic Bilbao have drawn two of their last three away La Liga contests
• Five of the last seven league meetings between the clubs have finished all square

Euro-chasing sides set for Mestalla stalemate 

Valencia’s four-game unbeaten run in La Liga faces a stern test when Champions League-chasing Athletic Bilbao head to the Mestalla on Saturday evening.

Los Che are now firmly in the fight for European places after embarking on a three-game winning run after earning a 1-1 draw with Barcelona a week before Christmas.

Ruben Baraja’s side thrashed Cadiz 4-1 last weekend and, after exiting the Copa del Rey at the hands of Celta Vigo on Wednesday, have a fairly short list of absentees for this clash with a couple of players still at the African Cup of Nations.

Baraja’s boys are tough to beat at home 

Athletic’s joint-leading scorer Inaki Williams is also still away with Ghana, but Ernesto Valverde’s side have coped very well without him – winning four games in a row to extend their streak to six.

The Basque club are hard to oppose on current form but Valencia are very tough to beat at home and, given the history of draws in this fixture, the stalemate certainly appeals at the odds.

Los Che have not shipped more than one goal in a league game at the Mestalla since August, but have also only scored more than once in three of their nine home matches, so the 1-1 should be the most likely correct score outcome in the case of a draw.