Our prediction for this Primera Division match:
Athletic Club play host to Real Valladolid at their San Mames on day 14 of the new La Liga campaign. The Lions have been having their ups and downs of late, with the team losing to both Barcelona and Girona on the road, while beating Villarreal at home. The Basques aim to regain their spot in top five, and the bookies see them as hot favourites to win the midweek clash. Keep in mind, though, that all Ander Herrera, Iker Muniain, and Dani Garcia are sidelined with injuries.
La Pucela, on the other hand, climbed to 10th place in the standings thanks to a 2-1 home win over Elche, but given their difficulties on the road, we do not believe that Athletic Club will have a better chance than this to get back on course in the Spanish top flight. All Sergio Escudero, Kenedy, and Anuar are out of contention with injuries for the away team.
Highlighted Player (Dani Garcia):
After spending his youth career at Real Sociedad, Dani Garcia made his senior debut for Alicante B. He made 29 appearances for the first team as well and in 2011 the Spanish midfielder joined Getafe B. Despite being a Real Sociedad player between 2012 and 2014 he spent two years at Eibar on loan, scoring one goal in 79 appearances for the club.
Dani Garcia made his debut in La Liga on 24 August, 2014 in a 1-0 win over his boyhood club Real Sociedad. On 26 June, 2014 he signed a permanent deal with Eibar, which expires in June, 2018. In July, 2015 his market value was €4 million. Dani Garcia has yet to play for the Spain national team, but he made his debut for the Basque Country.
The Eibar footballer plays as a central midfielder, but he is capable of playing as a defensive midfielder as well. Dani Garcia was born in Zumarraga, Spain on 24 May, 1990.
Highlighted Team (Valladolid):
Real Valladolid is a Spanish club based in Valladolid, the part of the autonomous community of Castille and Leon. Founded in 1928, Real Valladolid play their home matches at Jose Zorilla, the venue that has the capacity 26,512. La Pucela have yet to win the La Liga title, but it is important to note that they finished fourth at the end of the 1962/1963 season.
Real Valladolid made it to the Spanish Cup final on two occasions (1949/1950, 1988/1989). In 1984 they won Copa de la Liga (League Cup), which is considered the team’s biggest success. Speaking of their European records, Real Valladolid participated in the 1989/1990 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals.
La Pucela are well known for their purple and white shirts, but they are known for some top-class footballers as well. The likes of Diego Costa, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Borja Fernandez, Rene Higuita, Luis Garcia and Aritz Aduriz played for Real Valladolid in the past.