Athletic Bilbao vs Almeria preview - Valverde plays down winning run

Posted Saturday, March 21, 2015 by PA

Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde has played down the significance of his side stringing together five straight league victories - a milestone they will reach if they can see of Almeria on Saturday.

The Basque side have not won five consecutive league games since 1985, but Valverde does not believe taking three points over Almeria will vindicate what has been, in his own words, an inconsistent season.

He told a press conference: "We always tend to exaggerate the situation. When we were getting bad results we weren't on the edge of the precipice as everyone said, and now that we are doing well we do no think we are in heaven, we know that we are only halfway there.

"We are having an inconsistent season. We are on a positive run, and I believe getting to the Copa del Rey final lifted our spirits. Now we have an opportunity to win five league games in a row and if we do it we'll try and make it six."

The coach will be without his top scorer Aritz Aduriz through injury and Mikel San Jose, who is suspended after being sent off in the 1-0 win at Celta Vigo last week. Almeria defender Mauro Dos Santos is also suspended, for seeing red in the 0-0 draw with Villarreal, and Jose Manuel Jimenez 'Mane' is injured, but Javier Espinosa and Ximo Navarro return.

While Athletic are going for five wins in a row, Almeria will want to bring an end to a hapless run that has seen them go five matches without winning. They head to San Mames level on points with the relegation zone, but Valverde is wary that his side have lost at home to several struggling teams recently, with Granada, Cordoba and Elche all winning in Bilbao this term.

"The teams at the bottom have done badly at home this season and in this match our opponents come here in need of points, as have other teams," he said.

"We have struggled against teams that close up at the back and play on the counterattack. We were on a similar run to the one we are on now when Cordoba visited here and they ended our run, and that could happen against Almeria."