Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Madrid Prediction: Keep Solidity In San Mamés

Real Madrid players want to keep the trend of away match wins (photo: x @realmadrid)

JAKARTA - Real Madrid will try to maintain pressure on leaders of the Barcelona standings as they travel to San Mamés to face Athletic Bilbao in the La Liga match which will be held on Wednesday night, November 4.

Real Madrid came to this match in second place in the La Liga standings. Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao, who are in fourth place, are determined to continue their momentum in an effort to gain place in the Champions League. With only one point separating them from third place, Bilbao certainly want to win at home.

Athletic Bilbao is now in an impressive form. After ending last season in fifth place, they are now determined to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season. With seven wins, five draws, and three defeats in 15 matches, they managed to occupy fourth place in the standings. What's more, after a 2-1 win against Rayo Vallecano, they extended their unbeaten record to nine games in all competitions.

In that match, Oihan Sancet performed outstanding with two goals in the second half, ensuring Athletic won his third straight win. Sancet is now the team's mainstay, and he is expected to return to play against Real Madrid despite a slight injury to his ankle.

On the other hand, even though Real Madrid had just won an important 2-0 win over Getafe, they failed in the Champions League last week by losing 2-0 to Liverpool. The defeat added to their long line in European competitions, but in La Liga, Los Blancos again showed their strength by winning three consecutive wins without conceding. They are now only one point adrift of Barcelona, who are at the top of the standings.

Since their defeat to Atletico Madrid in September 2023, Real Madrid have been unbeaten in 21 away La Liga matches. This record makes them even more confident in playing the match against Athletic Bilbao in San Mamés, even though their opponents are not an easy team to beat at home to.

However, Bilbao has had a pretty good record against Madrid in recent seasons. They have only lost twice to the last seven meetings with Madrid and even managed to beat them in San Mamés in the 2014-2015 season.

The last meeting between the two teams there ended with a 2-0 win for Real Madrid, but Athletic could not be underestimated, especially after the three consecutive wins they won recently.

Athletic Bilbao will lose Ander Herrera who suffered a hamstring injury. However, Sancet, who scored twice against Rayo Vallecano, is expected to recover on time and lead the team's attack line. Benat Prados also returned after serving a one-match suspension and is expected to play from the start.

They can also make some changes in the line-up, with Oscar de Marcos and Dani Vivian potentially returning to the starting XI. At the goalkeeper's position, Julen Agirezabala is expected to remain trusted to keep the net even though Unai Simon is back fit after a long absence.

For Real Madrid, they are still without Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior who suffered a muscle injury. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are ruled out until the end of the season due to anterior ligament injury, while David Alaba will also not play in this match due to a long injury. However, Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to return to the squad after some absence.

Although Jude Bellingham was forced to be pulled out in the first half against Getafe with a neck injury, he is expected to be ready to appear in San Mamés. Carlo Ancelotti is also likely to make some changes, with Luka Modric and Arda Guler potentially appearing as starters in midfield.

This match is predicted to be tight between the two teams that are in solid form. Although Athletic Bilbao will work hard to take advantage of the advantages of playing at home, Real Madrid, who have better individual qualities and experience in dealing with pressure in away matches, may be a little more seeded for victory.

However, Bilbao should not be underestimated, considering they are unbeaten in the last nine games in all competitions. Their success in scoring goals through Sancet and their hard game from midfield could make it difficult for Los Blancos, who despite their good performance in La Liga, have still shown weaknesses in the back lines in recent matches.

Player Composition Forecast:

Athletic Bilbao (4-2-3-1): Agirezabala; De Marcos, Vivian, Alvarez, Berchiche; Ruiz de Galaretta, Prados; I. Williams, Sancet, N. Williams; Djalo

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Modric, Valverde, Bellingham, Guler; Rodrygo, Mbappe