Valencia CF vs Athletic Bilbao Best odds and tips

With Valencia CF in their ascendancy and Athletic Bilbao in the middle of a good season, Sunday’s La Liga clash at the Mestalla could be a tense affair with the visitors perhaps holding the edge. The Basque club have won three of the last four La Liga meetings at this venue, but the last two games between the clubs have been split one apiece with no draws. Athletic Bilbao are in fourth place in the table with 64 points from 35 games, which is their best season for many years as they look set to secure a place in the Champions League. Ernesto Valverde has been a great appointment, bringing stability and a pressing style that has made the Basques very difficult to break down and dangerous in transition. Carlos Corberan has also done a fantastic job at Valencia since taking over in December 2024, turning the club into one of La Liga’s in-form teams. Valencia are unbeaten in five, with three wins and two draws, to put themselves within two points of the European places in 11th with 45 points.

Valencia are a well-organised, counter-attacking team with few cards and plenty of goals in the right areas of the pitch. Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, are an intense pressing team that move the ball directly and push their forwards to disrupt the opposition build-up. The contrast in styles could make for a tense encounter with few clear chances, but the visitors have a proven goalscorer in Oihan Sancet, who has hit 15 in 26 La Liga appearances this term. Gorka Guruzeta has also been in good form recently, scoring decisive goals to partner Sancet up front. Hugo Duro is Valencia’s top scorer with 11 in 28 La Liga games, having found form at the right time for the hosts, bagging three of their last eight goals. Duro’s goals have been a big boost to Valencia’s recent unbeaten run and they should have enough to edge this tight contest with home advantage and better form.

The odds are slightly in Valencia’s favour at 2.56, but it is close enough for the draw to be a runner at 3.12 with Athletic Bilbao at 2.81. Both teams are solid defensively and the visitors have won three of the last four at this venue, so we’ll take the draw no bet option on the hosts. But with the visitors having failed to win their last two away games, we feel Valencia can edge this one and the ‘Under 2.5 goals’ market looks a good option for the value bet.