Valverde unwilling to change style

Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde insists he will not alter his team's style of play despite their poor start to the season.

The Basques were beaten 1-0 by former coach Joaquin Caparros' Granada last weekend and head to Rayo Vallecano with just three points from their opening four games.

As a result of the poor start, Valverde is all too aware of the need to turn things around quickly.

"We're going there in need of the points because we got no points in our last game and after four weeks the league table starts to tell you something," Valverde told a press conference.

"We are near the bottom of the table and we want what every team near the bottom wants, and that's nothing else but to win."

Valverde also called for a sense of perspective, pointing out that his side had a last-minute equaliser against Malaga ruled out in their opening game, and that an error by Ander Iturraspe gifted Granada the only goal of Saturday's match.

"We haven't always deserved the results we have got, because we lost in certain circumstances in Malaga and it was our own error that cost us against Granada," he said.

"We are in September and we recently knocked Napoli out of the Champions League. I have no doubts at all about a style of play which has given us so much."

Forward Ibai Gomez has been ruled out of the trip to Vallecas but Aymeric Laporte, one of six players to be left out of the starting line-up against Granada, returns from injury.

Rayo boss Paco Jemez welcomes back Jonathan Pereira and Javier Aquino to his side after the two forwards missed the 4-2 defeat at Villarreal due to contractual issues, and the coach is now just missing defender Antonio Amaya and goalkeeper David Cobeno, who are both injured.

Rayo are still without a win this season but Jemez insists he sees encouraging signs in his team.

"We are doing many things well but we are all frustrated because we should have won a game by now," he told a press conference.

"We have to search for a way to concede fewer goals, because we are doing fine in attack and have scored six goals in four games. Once we find that balance, I'm sure we're going to start to win games."