Valladolid 0 - Athletic Bilbao 0

Valladolid: Bizzarri; Torres Gómez, Santamaria, Heinze, Marcos; Jesús (Fernando 85'), Eusebio; Fernando Sales, (Pachón 67'), Caminero, Antonio López; Alberto (Kaviedes 67'). 4-2-3-1.
Bilbao: Lafuente; Lacruz, Roberto Rios, Alkorta (Orbaiz 22'), Del Horno; Felipe, Oscar Vales, Urrutia, Lasa (Javi González 70'); Julen Guerrero (Yeste 12'), Urzaiz. 4-4-1-1.

Team changes: Valladolid: Santamaria, Jesús, Caminero, Alberto for García Calvo, Ricchetti, Turiel, Kaviedes / Bilbao: Felipe, Urrutia, Lasa for Orbaiz, Joseba Etxeberria, Javi González.

Goals: None.

This was a clash which on paper favoured the home side, with Valladolid unbeaten so far this season at home, and Bilbao yet to win away. And as so often happens in this type of situation, nothing happened. Well, not a lot to talk about anyway, as the visitors gave up any idea of attacking early on when Julen Guerrero limped off in the twelfth minute to leave centre forward Ismael Urzaiz totally alone up front. Athletic's manager Txetxu Rojo inexplicably picked a team with eight defensive players, leaving last week's young stars Yeste and Javi González on the bench, with Lasa, a full back, making his first start of the season on the left of a four man midfield. Urrutia and Felipe came back in after sitting out their one match suspensions, but Joseba Etxeberria was still injured and will not be fit again until the new year. Valladolid's coach Pancho Ferraro was under pressure, with his team wallowing down in the lower part of the table, and he needed a result to restore confidence. He is in desperate need of a reliable goalscorer, and once again he changed his front men, bringing back Alberto and Caminero up front, with Jesús returning from a one match suspension in midfield.

García Calvo failed a late fitness test, and with Peña still not recovered, the faithful Santamaría came in to the back four again. With Bilbao prepared to sit back and wait, Valladolid set about their game, with attacks mainly coming down the two flanks. Lafuente saved twice from Alberto but other than that the orderly defence of the Basques cut out any danger. Halfway through the first half Rojo was forced to make his second change, with Orbaiz replacing the injured Alkorta, and Oscar Vales dropped back to the heart of the defence. Bilbao did improve for a while at the start of the second half, but Bizzarri didn't have to make a save until well after the hour mark, when Yeste tested the keeper for the first time. Ferraro brought on two new forwards, Kaviedes and Pachón, but no change there, and their best effort came from Santamaría with a header.

Towards the end of the game referee Mejuto González, who had been heavy on yellow cards all night, booked Urzaiz for the second time, leaving Bilbao with ten men, but even then Valladolid could do nothing, with Kaviedes shooting wide in the last minute. The home fans were missing last year's strike force of Víctor and Shoji Jo, and Valladolid may well have to get the cheque book out if they are to stay in the top flight at this rate. This was their eighth draw this season, and they drop down to within two places of the relegation zone. Bilbao for their part get their fourth away draw, and they are currently in tenth position, although they need to be more ambitious away from home if they are to get any higher. All in all a disappointing game, and both teams must be looking forward to the two week rest period coming up after their next game. Their fans probably are too.