Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid: La Liga Previews, Odds, Predictions

On Wednesday, Real Madrid will face Athletic Bilbao at San Mames in La Liga, aiming to maintain pressure on leaders Barcelona.

Coming into the match, Los Blancos will be in second place in the league, while the hosts vying for a spot in the Champions League are in fourth.

Preview of the upcoming match

Athletic are aiming to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2013–14 after finishing in fifth place last year. They have shown they belong in the top four in their 15 league games this season.

Athletic now resides in fourth place in La Liga, one spot ahead of fifth-place Villarreal according to a goal differential, after playing fifteen matches with a record of seven wins, five draws, and three losses.

Los Leones's most recent match was a 2-1 triumph against Rayo Vallecano. In that game, Oihan Sancet scored twice in the second half to give his team a much-needed boost.

With Sancet's goal, Athletic won their third game in a row, extending their winning streak to nine games across all competitions. Los Leones last lost a competitive match when losing 2-1 to Girona on 6 October.

Ernesto Valverde's squad will welcome back San Mames, the site of six of their last eight competitive victories (D2), after a fruitful trip to Vallecas.

While Valverde was in charge of Athletic for the second time and Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of Real Madrid for the first time, they had not defeated Los Blancos in a league match at San Mames since March 2015, when Aritz Aduriz scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 triumph.

After last week's 2-0 Champions League loss to Liverpool, Real Madrid would have been quite dissatisfied. It was their third loss in four European games, dropping Los Blancos to 24th in the league.

Real Madrid has won three in a row in La Liga without allowing a goal, capitalizing on Barcelona's winless streak of three games in the competition (D1, L2). Despite their Champions League struggles, they are gaining steam at home.

In Sunday's home match against Getafe, Jude Bellingham was given the penalty kick duty. Remaining composed, he calmly scored a penalty in the 30th minute. In a commanding first half at the Santiago Bernabeu, Kylian Mbappe doubled his side's lead.

While Real Madrid was unable to score in the second half, they held strong defensively and earned their sixth league clean sheet of the season. This allowed them to conclude the weekend only one point behind Barcelona, who led the league, and they still had a game in hand.

Athletic will aim to extend their unbeaten run in La Liga away games to 22 games, dating back to their loss at Atletico Madrid in September 2023. Real Madrid will defend their championship in their next match.

Winning their past five away games against Athletic, including a 2-0 triumph in last season's visit to San Mames, the European champions will be confident in their prospects of grabbing all three points on Wednesday. They will be well aware of the stiff challenge that awaits them.

Athletic Bilbao x Real Madrid Team News

The Athletic has announced that seasoned midfielder Ander Herrera will miss Wednesday's home match due to a hamstring injury.

Following scoring twice off the bench in Sunday's 2-1 victory against Rayo, Sancet will likely return to the starting lineup following a minor ankle injury.

After a one-match ban, Benat Prados is expected to return to the starting lineup triumphantly. Oscar de Marcos and Dani Vivian are also being considered for recalls.

After a long absence, Euro 2024 champion Unai Simon has returned to training, leaving Valverde to decide whether to stick with Julen Agirrezabala or bring in Simon.

Eduardo Camavinga (midfielder) and Vinicius Junior (forward) are still sidelined with injuries for Real Madrid.

Due to anterior cruciate ligament injuries, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao will miss the season. David Alaba will likely return from his lengthy layoff early in 2025.

After a benching, Los Blancos keep their fingers crossed that Aurelien Tchouameni will be fit to play again soon.

Despite being substituted off at halftime in Sunday's victory against Getafe due to a neck problem, Bellingham is expected to be fine for Wednesday's away trip.

In the meantime, Ancelotti may bench one or two players for the next away trip; Arda Guler and Luka Modric are both vying for starting roles.

Our predictions

Full time draw @ 3.45 on Sky247.ng

Even though Real Madrid has won its past three league games—against Osasuna, Leganes, and Getafe—the away match against Athletic on Wednesday will be a far more difficult test.

We expect Athletic to take advantage of San Mames to steal a point from the defending La Liga champions since they have only lost one of their last 26 home league matches.

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