Ahead of tonight's clash at San Mames, Valverde was asked about facing the under pressure Real Madrid coach.
He said, “He’s a great coach. At Real Madrid, winning every match is the requirement. They’ve won 10 out of 14, and after drawing 3 in a row… Xabi showed what he’s capable of in Leverkusen, and I’m convinced Real Madrid will be at the top.
"They’ve gone three league matches without a win, which shows that their opponents have been playing well. When we prepare for a match, we always expect the best from our opponents and, at the same time, we want them to be at their worst.
"We’re not thinking that Madrid isn’t playing well just because (Kylian) Mbappé scores a goal in a second. We value Real Madrid highly, but we want to capitalize on our strengths and the advantage of playing at home.
"I don’t really know what they’ll do, and it’s not something I can predict. We have to be prepared for everything because they have many options. There are many variations and possibilities. We must play our game with a general idea and then adapt to what we face .”