Bilbao, May 10, 2026, 16:04 (CEST)
- Right before kickoff, Athletic Club had to make do without Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, sidelined by a late absence. Alejandro Rego was handed a spot in midfield.
- Valencia opted for a different approach up front, turning to Hugo Duro and Javi Guerra as starters. Umar Sadiq and Largie Ramazani, meanwhile, remained on the bench.
- This one’s got contrasting implications—Athletic push for Europe, while Valencia fight to stay out of the drop zone.
Just before kickoff at San Mamés, Athletic Club had to swap out Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta in midfield due to paternity, altering plans for Sunday’s LaLiga clash with Valencia. On the visitors’ side, Valencia boss Carlos Corberán lined up Hugo Duro and Javi Guerra up front, following a last-minute correction to the team sheet.
Timing is key here. Athletic started the match sitting ninth with 44 points, just within range to chase Europe as the season winds down. Valencia, on the other hand, showed up in 16th on 39 points—just barely clear of the drop zone, and with only four league games, this one included, left to rescue their season.
LaLiga clubs now have more at stake in Europe. Mundo Deportivo says Spain’s expanded quota sends five teams to the Champions League, with sixth heading for the Europa League and seventh to the Conference League, the continent’s third tier. The shift sharpens the incentive for teams like Athletic, Getafe, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna, who suddenly see a path that wasn’t so clear just weeks back.
Corberán didn’t lean into theatrics—he called Valencia’s situation urgent, not dramatic. “We have to give the maximum for this great club,” he said ahead of kickoff, underlining the need to approach the match with responsibility. As for the opposition, he described Athletic as “very complete” and stressed his team had to rise to that challenge. Valencia CF
Unai Simón started in goal for Athletic, backed by a defense of Gorosabel, Yeray, Laporte, and Yuri. In midfield: Rego and Jauregizar, with Robert Navarro, Oihan Sancet, and Nico Williams further forward. Guruzeta led the line. Iñaki Williams found himself among the substitutes, joined by Vesga, Berenguer, Unai Gómez, and Dani Vivian.
Valencia started with Dimitrievski in goal; the back four of Saravia, Cömert, Tárrega, and Gayà; a midfield featuring Rioja, Pepelu, Guido Rodríguez, and Diego López; with Javi Guerra and Hugo Duro up front. Sadiq and Ramazani—both central to Valencia’s recent conversations around attack—waited on the bench, joined by Danjuma and André Almeida.
Valencia haven’t had much consistency up front. Hugo Duro leads their LaLiga scoring chart with nine, per league data, with Ramazani at six and Sadiq on three. Assists? Javi Guerra and Luis Rioja top that list, each with five.
Still, the lineup shake-up isn’t one-sided. Athletic are down a steady distributor as Ruiz de Galarreta misses out right before the match, but Valencia, too, open without a pair of strikers who’ve fueled much of the recent debate around the squad. The point spread tells the story: the Valencia club site lists Elche and Valencia both at 39 points, Girona at 38, Alavés sitting on 37—packed together near the bottom.
The match lands amid a changing of the guard in Bilbao. Athletic named ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic as Valverde’s successor from next season, signing him through 2028. That puts Valverde in charge for the run-in, with a shot at Europe still on the table.
The Matchday 35 fixture at Estadio San Mamés had a 16:15 local kickoff slot, with referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias assigned for the game.
