Valencia faces Athletic Bilbao with the urgent need to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat in their stadium, the Mestalla. The visit of the red and white team comes just after three consecutive losses at home: a 0-1 defeat against Betis, a 0-5 defeat against Barça and a 2-3 defeat against Real Sociedad. If Valencia loses again, it would mark a negative record in the League, since the last time the club suffered four consecutive defeats at home was between the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 campaigns, although distributed over two different seasons.
The club's history shows that only four previous times has there been a streak of three consecutive defeats in the same stadium: 2007-2008, 2002-2003, 1985-86 and 1973-74. The last time the team had three losses in the final stretch of the season was in March 2016. With Athletic, Valencia needs at least one point to break the drought and avoid a historic episode. Until now, the only point obtained at the Mestalla was a 0-0 draw against Celta, when the club played its first home game under the direction of Javier Aguirre.
Aguirre, who led his first match at the Mestalla with a 0-0 draw against Racing at El Sardinero, is the coach who will have to guide Valencia in their next match. The Mexican coach faces the task of motivating a team that has suffered several injuries this season. Luis Rioja, the forward, is in doubt due to problems in the calcaneal area and plantar fat. Center back José Copete is also sidelined after seven months out with a knee injury. In addition, midfielders Sadiq Umar and Dimitri Foulquier are on the casualty list.
Athletic Bilbao, for its part, arrives with a solid campaign and seeks to continue adding points in the qualifying phase. The match promises to be a clash of styles: Valencia, with its need to break the negative streak, and Athletic, with the intention of consolidating its position in the table. The result of this match will be decisive for the immediate future of Valencia, which needs a point to avoid a negative record and regain confidence in its stadium.