Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
Third meets fourth in one of the top La Liga matches of Matchday 26, as Atletico Madrid host Athletic Bilbao at Riyadh Air Metropolitano this Saturday evening.
Atletico Madrid are in a three-way battle for this year’s league championship alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, where only one point separates these three proud sides. Barcelona and Real Madrid have winnable games against Real Sociedad and Real Betis, so Atletico Madrid are under immense pressure to win to keep up.
Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao are fourth in the Spanish top-flight table with 48 points. However, they’re not yet content with their position since Villarreal are lurking, and only four points separate these two teams.
Both teams are fresh from league wins, with Atletico Madrid winning 3-0 against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao blowing out Valladolid 7-1. SBOTOP football fans are in for a cracker when these two teams meet again.
Talking Points
Atletico Madrid’s brutal stretch
Atletico Madrid’s mettle will be tested, as they’ll face Real Madrid and Barcelona twice in four of their next six games across all competitions. After taking on Athletic Bilbao this Saturday, Diego Simeone’s men will take on Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16. And then they’ll square off against Barcelona in a league match and the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, with matches against Getafe and Espanyol sandwiched between those games.
The good news for Atletico Madrid is their absentee list has eased. Pablo Barrios is back in the mix after serving his suspension. Koke is the only notable player missing, as the team captain is still recovering from his leg injury.
After beating Valencia in their last league match, Atletico Madrid held Barcelona to a 4-4 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie. Los Rojiblancos built a 2-0 lead, courtesy of Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, but they were down 4-2, as Pedri, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, and Robert Lewandowski scored. Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth came up clutch with two late goals to force a stalemate.
Lineup doubts for Athletic Bilbao
Los Leones flexed their collective firepower in their blowout win against Valladolid, as Mikel Jauregizar, Nico Williams (brace), Maroan Sannadi, Oihan Sancet, Gorka Guruzeta, and Inaki Williams were all on the scoresheet.
However, Athletic Bilbao are sweating on the fitness of their two top scorers ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid. Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet reportedly didn’t partake in the team’s most recent training session, with the latter dealing with a minor thigh injury.
Losing Sancet will be a major blow for Ernesto Valverde’s side, as he’s the team’s top scorer with 13 league goals and one assist this season. Meanwhile, Alvaro Djalo isn’t expected to play, as the winger has an ankle problem. Maroan Sannadi scored his first goal for Athletic Bilbao last time out, so he’s expected to retain his spot up front.
History
Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have already faced off earlier this season. Diego Simeone’s men defeated Ernesto Valverde’s side 1-0 at San Mames, as Angel Correa scored the match-winner during stoppage time.
Los Rojiblancos have won four of their last five La Liga matches against Los Leones (L1) after winning just two of their previous seven meetings in the competition (D2, L3). Atletico Madrid have not lost their last 13 league games at Riyadh Air Metropolitano (W9, D4), but they’ve dropped points in two of their last three (W1, D2).
Los Leones are undefeated in their last 16 La Liga matches (W9, D7) – the longest current unbeaten run in the league. They will look to make it 17 in a row for the first time since March 1930.
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2025 odds predict a close fight between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. Because they’re playing at home, Atletico Madrid have a slight advantage at 2.08, whereas Athletic Bilbao are at 3.36 odds, and a draw is at 3.09 in the 1X2 market. As mentioned, Los Rojiblancos arguably need this win more than their visitors.
We won’t be surprised if Atletico Madrid turn this into a low-scoring match where they’ll win only by one goal, so don’t expect too many La Liga 2025 highlights from this contest. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also go for options like Under 2.50 at 1.70, Under 2.25 at 1.94, Under 2.00 at 2.28, and even Total Goal 0-1 at 2.67. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Los Rojiblancos – the result of the reverse fixture – is pegged at 6.10 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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