Previews
THU 09.04.2015
Matchday 30 of the Liga BBVA throws up a meeting between Athletic Club and Valencia CF, two sides that suffered bad results over the weekend. Ernesto Valverde's charges were beaten 2-0 by Sevilla FC, while Valencia were held to a scoreless draw by Villarreal CF. Valencia's missed opportunity meant they were pushed out of third place by Atlético Madrid, so they will be looking to avoid any further slip ups and therefore will be in search of a win in San Mamés.
Team news
Ernesto Valverde, the Athletic coach, will have to make do without Iker Muniain who will miss the rest of the season due to a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee. Ander Iturraspe and Aymeric Laporte will also be unavailable for this fixture. Meanwhile, Valencia will be without José Luis Gayà and Enzo Pérez, both of whom are injured, as well as Dani Parejo, who is suspended. Making their way into the away side's squad are the Valencia academy players Salva Ruiz and Carlos Carbonell 'Tropi'.
Views from the dugouts
The Basque team's boss has said he expects "a similar game to the meeting earlier on this season". He also spoke about the upcoming opponents, a team he used to manage: "They have only lost three games away from home and in my opinion are clear candidates to qualify for the UEFA Champions League".
Valencia's Portuguese coach talked about his side's current mental state: "We are highly motivated and ready to compete". He also referred to fight for the UEFA Champions League spots: "We can't prevent our direct opponents from picking up points, we have to focus on our job. We knew from the get go that it would be a fight till the end".
© LALIGA - 2015