The 2022-23 edition of La Liga is back in action with another set of matches this weekend as Valencia take on Ernesto Valverde's impressive Athletic Bilbao side in an important encounter at the Estadio de Mestalla on Saturday.Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao PreviewValencia are currently in 17th place in the La Liga standings and have struggled both on and off the football field this season. Los Che suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Girona in their previous game and will need to bounce back this weekend.Athletic Bilbao, on the other hand, are in eighth place in the league table at the moment and have slumped after a strong start to their campaign. The Basque outfit thrashed Cadiz by a 4-1 margin last week and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture.Athletic Club@Athletic_en @LaLigaEN has confirmed the date and kick off time for our Matchday 24 fixture: @RayoVallecano 🏟️ Vallecas🗓️ Sunday, March 5 18:30 CET #RayoAthletic #AthleticClub 🦁191⏰ @LaLigaEN has confirmed the date and kick off time for our Matchday 24 fixture:🆚 @RayoVallecano 🏟️ Vallecas🗓️ Sunday, March 5🕡 18:30 CET #RayoAthletic #AthleticClub 🦁 https://t.co/cSSi6TeIrRValencia vs Athletic Bilbao Head-to-Head and Key NumbersValencia have a good recent record against Athletic Bilbao and have won 19 of the last 52 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Athletic Bilbao's 14 victories.Valencia are winless in their last six matches against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, with their previous victory coming by a 1-0 margin in September 2019.Athletic Bilbao are unbeaten in each of their last three matches against Valencia away from home in La Liga and have taken something away from each game.Valencia have lost their last three matches without finding the back of the net in La Liga - their worst such run in the competition since 2016.Athletic Bilbao are winless in their last seven La Liga matches away from home and have lost their last two such games in the competition.Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao PredictionAthletic Bilbao have impressive players in their ranks and will need to work hard to secure their place in Europe. Oihan Sancet was exceptional against Cadiz last week and will look to make the most of his purple patch in this fixture.Valencia CF@valenciacf_en🗓️ Gameday 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 @Athletic_en @ESPNFC @LaLigaEN | #ValenciaUSA 71🗓️ Gameday 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖🆚 @Athletic_en📺 @ESPNFC @LaLigaEN | #ValenciaUSA 🇺🇸⌚️ https://t.co/EjAaknNxnWValencia have endured a poor season and will need a series of good results to stay away from the relegation zone. Athletic Bilbao are the better team at the moment, however, and should be able to win this game.Prediction: Valencia 1-2 Athletic BilbaoValencia vs Athletic Bilbao Betting TipsTip 1: Result - Athletic BilbaoTip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - YesTip 3: Athletic Bilbao to score first - YesTip 4: Oihan Sancet to score - Yes