On March 2nd Valencia CF is going to welcome Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla for the second leg of the Spanish cup semi final. Valencia CF got a great result in the first leg, a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao which puts us in pole position for the second leg, but we still have to prove it and get a result at home. With how Valencia CF has been playing recently in the league its going to be very hard to get a good result, but who knows, I expected a loss in the first leg, but Valencia CF surprised me and got a draw against an in form Bilbao who defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona previously to reach the semi final, so there is still hope left.
Even though we've had several terrible results in the league recently, last match was a much needed win, even if it was a lucky one and maybe even an undeserved one. Hopefully that win gives us a boost leading up to this match and brings back some confidence into the players.
Valencia CF is boosted by the presence of Gabriel Paulista who returned from injury last weekend and immediately featured against RCD Mallorca, helping guild Valencia CF to a clean sheet, one in a long time. So we'd be relatively more secure at the back, though I'm still worried about Gabriel Paulista's fitness as he just returned from injury and is immediately playing two matches in a span of several days. Hopefully he is able to recoup enough to give 100% performance, we are going to need it.
Correia, Gaya are still out injured and won't feature in this match, so it seems likely that Jose Bordalas is going to use the same defensive trio he used against RCD Mallorca, especially since it brought us a positive result and a clean sheet. We are likely to see Goncalo Guedes back in the lineup, starting over Maxi Gomez, apart from that we might see Hugo back in the midfield over Yunus, though who knows.
Say what you will about our play and results, but I fancy our chances in the cup. Its a different competition and we've had more luck and better results in the cup, so I'm giving Valencia CF more credit in the cup and therefore I think we have a good chance to win and place in the final. Valencia CF fans certainly need something to cheer for, something to lift our spirits and placing in the final will do that. So with that said I'm thinking a small win for Valencia CF over Athletic Bilbao, something like 1-0 or 2-1. I don't think there is going to be a lot of goals, I think its mostly going to be a scrappy game like the first one, though I'm hoping Valencia CF is more dominant in midfield and perform like they did in the second half against Bilbao.
So yeah, I'm predicting and hoping for a win, what do you guys and gals think? Do we stand a chance against Bilbao, tell us in the comments section!