Athletic Bilbao have lost their last two in La Liga, but they’re looking like they might be getting themselves back into the form they had before a loss to Mallorca. They’re still a long way off the top four and a UEFA Champions League place, but a home win today against Valencia could certainly make that race interesting.
Athletic Bilbao Vs. Valencia: Los Leones Aggressive Early
Valencia have opted to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, an obvious choice with striker Aritz Aduriz unavailable. Conventional wisdom says that they should be able to control the midfield against a 4-4-2 setup like the one Athletic Bilbao employs, but their players have worked extremely hard early and they certainly don’t look like they just have two in the center.
Bilbao have an interesting predicament today, with right back Andoni Iraola unavailable and a lack of good options available to replace him. They have decided to play Oscar de Marcos at right back, an extremely attacking move. Oscar could be classified as a right winger, but is probably more accurately classified as a right forward. He’s been surging forward from his right back position early, and he’s been very effective.
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