Valverde: "I'm expecting a tough, complicated match"

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde is confident Los Rojiblancos can maintain their unbeaten run, but admitted he is expecting a difficult match against Getafe CF at San Mames.

José Bordalás' Azules visit Bilbao for the LaLiga EA Sports Matchday 7 fixture and Valverde is certain they will make life tough for Los Leones.

"It would be three wins in a row and a continuation of our good form," Valverde said about the possibility of collecting all three points in Wednesday night (19:00 CEST).

"It will be difficult for both sides. Getafe are a hardy opponent and they're playing well even though they've only picked up points at home.

"We're expecting a tough, hard-fought and complicated encounter. We're optimistic we can win. We want to consolidate our position in the league and keep putting points on the board."

Valverde reiterated Athletic will need to be "competitive and robust" in both areas if they are to get the victory. He continued: "We will try to play well, create goalscoring situations and make them uncomfortable defensively."

With four clean sheets in the first six matches of the season, the gaffer put the side's strong defensive record down to the correct balance between defence and attack.

He said: "The truth is we're doing well in general. The defence is not separate from the attack. If you defend well, you attack well and vice versa.

"When we've had to defend with the team a bit further back, we've been solid and we're doing well. We must also acknowledge Unai Simón's good form, he's made some good saves."