Here are two teams that are both having a very erratic season. Athletic Bilbao are currently in fifteenth position in the league and are just one point above the drop zone. Valladolid are two places in front of Athletic and have a point more, but the league is far from safe for either. Athletic drew last weekend away to Almeria and were very lucky to get away with a point. Valladolid meanwhile, fell at home to an invigorated Racing de Santander to a lone goal, which prevented them from rising up the table to a more comfortable spot.
Athletic Bilbao at home this season are playing pretty dreadfully. They have only won three matches in front of their home fans while managing to draw seven. To make matters worse neither midfielder Yeste nor striker Etxberria will be on hand to play any part of this encounter, as they both received their fifth yellow card during the Almeria game and as such have to serve a one match ban. Their absences will come as a blow to coach Joaquín Caparrós, who sees this game as one of the most important of the season in their struggle to avoid relegation for the first time in their long history.
Valladolid will also be without some key figures, most notably striker Joseba Llorente. He was also on the receiving end of his fifth yellow card in the Racing game and consequently will not be making an appearance here. The good news for coach José Luis Mendilibar is the reincorporation of defender Alexis for this match after being out injured for the last ten days.
With Athletic’s penchant for drawing games at home Valladolid’s lack of ambition in front of goal, this could quite easily finish either goalless or with one goal apiece. It is unlikely that either side will be relegated this season, simply because there are other teams below them that are playing far worse than themselves. Not a very interesting game to watch for sure, but by going for a draw you just might get something out of it.
Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Both teams in this match got important wins at the weekend. Atlético Madrid traveled to Racing de Santander and had an exceptional match, winning it by two goals to nil. Before the game the outcome was very much against Atlético, as they had had some very poor results and Racing are having an historic season, especially at home. However, Diego Forlan put two away to earn his team three vital points which allowed his team to get back into the Champions league spot. They are now fourth in the league and their season seems to have kick started again owing to the results going their way of the other clubs around them. The two Forlan goals ended his eight match duck and was the first time he had scored twice in one game wearing an Atlético shirt. They now have to face Bolton in the first leg of the UEFA cup and really needed this victory to bring morale back up.
Athletic Bilbao meanwhile were also victorious but at the other end of the league. They defeated Levante at home in a tense game that had Athletic begging for the final whistle. They got the three points thanks to a Fernando Llorente header at the start of the second half, but Levante were allowed back into the game by a weak Athletic defense and the visitors were unlucky not to equalize at the very least. The win gives Athletic Bilbao a bit of a breather in the league, but they shouldn’t relax just yet. Now they are two points above the relegation zone in fourteenth, but they are well aware that a defeat against Atlético here at the Calderon stadium will put them right back into the survival fight.
Athletic Bilbao still haven’t been able to string two wins together in the league this season, and everything points to them losing here. You would have to go back to the 1999/00 season to find their last league victory against Atlético Madrid in the Calderon stadium, and I think that statistic will remain the same for at least another year.
Sergio Agüero played most of the match at the weekend and seems certain to start the game against Bolton in midweek. I’m going for a comfortable home win here, depending of course on any injuries that Atlético might pick up during the UEFA cup match.
Prediction: Home win (2-0)

Will Levante be able to pull off an historic fight back and save themselves from almost certain relegation? That’s the big question being asked around Spain’s many bars of late. On paper it seems to be an impossible task, Levante being ten points adrift at the bottom of La Liga and with just three wins out of twenty two games. Most people would write them off completely, but for the fact that there are five or six teams above them which are having exceptional problems winning matches as well. Levante have taken five points from their last three matches but it should have been seven points from nine as last weekend they were denied the win against Racing de Santander when the referee awarded the visitors an inexistent penalty. They now face another direct rival to their relegation fight and if they play like they have in their last two games, could pull off another vital win.
Athletic Bilbao are having one of those very forgettable seasons so far. They are fifteenth in the league and one of four teams on twenty three points. Murcia are in the relegation zone only through goal difference and anything but a win for Athletic will bring dire consequences for coach Caparros. They have won just two home games this season and lost two as well. The other seven were all drawn and that says a lot about their season. This week, three players were fined by the club for reasons not yet known. Fran Yeste, Iban Zubiaurre and ex Chelsea defender Asier Del Horno refuse to tell the press what happen exactly but sources say they broke one of the club’s internal rules. Speculation involves an early morning incident at a night club, but as yet the facts are unclear. This goes a long way to show that there is a lot of tension at the club and Athletic seem to be going from one scandal to the next, while the football takes second place.
I’m going for a draw in this match. Athletic Bilbao are having problems keeping clean sheets as well as scoring goals, and Levante seem to have found a good streak. However, I don’t think they will be capable of getting all three points from this one.
Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Athletic Bilbao have some problems at the moment in getting the right results and have been very irregular all season. So irregular in fact that they have not been able to string two wins together. Every time they have won a game this season (which is just five times by the way) they have lost the next game. Only when they beat Valladolid back in October did they then go on to pick up a point in their next match. Last weekend Athletic lost away to Osasuna, so by rights they should get something out of this game. Unfortunately, Barcelona have a pretty good record at the San Mames stadium. Of the last fourteen games played there by these two clubs, Barcelona have gone home with the win on seven occasions, and with a point four times. However, given Barcelona’s poor away form this season anything could happen.
Barca now have three straight wins behind them after beating Mallorca, Murcia and Racing de Santander last weekend. That game also saw the return of Leo Messi and confirmed that Frenchman Thierry Henry has finally decided he hasn’t lost his football. He scored another goal which secured the three points and seemed to be fully fit again.
Athletic will have to face this match without Fran Yeste, who was sent off during the Osasuna game for violent conduct, but the board of directors are hoping to have the ban lifted. He is an influential member of the side and without him Athletic will face an even worse time. You have to remember that Athletic Bilbao’s policy of only buying players from the Basque country greatly affects their chances of having a good season. No foreign player has ever played for them and probably never will. What is even more astonishing is that Athletic have never been relegated. However, in recent years they have been playing with fire and last season were very lucky to stay in the top flight of Spanish football. This season seems to be going the same way, as they are now fifteenth in the league with the same points as third from bottom Murcia.
I’m going for an away win here. Barcelona seem to have recovered from losing to Real Madrid at home just before Christmas, and being seven points behind the leaders they know they can’t afford any more slip ups.
Prediction: Away win (0-2)

When Athletic Bilbao take on Sevilla at their San Mames stadium on Saturday, they will be hoping (indeed, praying) to encounter the ‘other’ Sevilla side – the Sevilla FC that has forgotten how to play football. Unfortunately for Athletic, that Sevilla is getting harder and harder to see. Last weekend the Andalucian side tossed Betis aside like a toy in their city derby, coming out three nil victors with an almost arrogant superiority. Luis Fabiano got two goals and is now lead scorer in La Liga, and Daniel Alves got the third. You may remember at the start of the season he was on the brink of signing for Chelsea, but all the rebellion on the players part has long been put to rest and he once again put in a great performance for Sevilla.
Athletic meanwhile lost again last weekend. They traveled the short distance to take on Racing de Santander and were unable to knock down (or even dent) their fortress, sneaking off back home with their tails between their legs and another one nil away defeat for their efforts. This has put Athletic one step closer to the relegation zone, and is now fourth from bottom. In fact, Sevilla did them a great favor by beating Betis, as they stay third from the bottom with just one point separating them from Bilbao.
Things don’t look too good the Athletic, especially as they have failed to beat Sevilla in the last seven attempts. They have also failed to win a game in their last four league matches, only being able to score one goal. I’m going for another Sevilla win in this match. They seem to have found their form again and I wouldn’t be surprised if they got into Europe again before the season’s finale. They are currently eight points from Atlético Madrid who occupy the fourth place spot, and the next four games should be relatively easy for them. After those four matches Sevilla receive Barcelona at the Sanchez Pizjuan in a game which should see Sevilla back towards the top of the table.
Prediction: Away win (0-3)

Racing de Santander goes into this match showing clear signs of fatigue. They have lost three of their last four games, and although they still occupy a UEFA cup spot, I wonder how much longer they can resist. We can see exactly where the problem lies, too. In the last four games they have conceded ten goals. In the THIRTEEN games before that only nine. They now have Valencia and Sevilla breathing down their necks and they need a win here to keep up their European dreams. Luckily, Athletic Bilbao is also going through something of a crisis of results, and has only managed six points and a possible eighteen. They are having a very irregular season so far, which reflects in their position in the league. They are currently fourteenth and just one point above the relegation zone.
Athletic coach Joaquín Caparrós has a nightmare injury list to contend with at the moment, including Aitor Ocio, Joseba Etxeberria and Javi Martínez, who broke his nose in the first day of training in the New Year. Ex-Chelsea defender Asier Del Horno is also doubtful after picking up a knock in the Christmas friendly match between the Basque country and Catalunia. The good news is that goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz should be back between the posts after recovering from as injury back in early November.
I’m backing Racing de Santander for this one. I can see them taking all three points simply because they seem to have more hunger this season. Usually it is normal for Racing to be fighting relegation come January, but now they have a real chance of getting into Europe I don’t believe they will waste it, and even though goalkeeper Toño is still out, Athletic’s injury worries are far more important than Racing’s.
Prediction: Home win (2-1)