The Matchday 15 clash in LaLiga between Athletic and Atletico Madrid will take place on December 6 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. Athletic vs Atletico Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Athletic
Over the past month, Athletic have alternated between wins and defeats, but have only claimed three points against Oviedo and Levante — sides from the relegation zone. The Basques were recently soundly beaten by Real Madrid (0-3). The club started the current league campaign with a three-game winning run but have won just three of their subsequent 12 LaLiga fixtures, with seven defeats and 11 points collected in that span. Athletic remain eighth in the table, four points off the European places, but have played one more game than their rivals.
- At least one team failed to score in six of Athletic's last seven LaLiga matches.
- Athletic's winless run in this competition now stands at six matches (2 wins, 4 defeats).
- The club has covered the +1.5 handicap in seven of their last eight home league games.
Approximate Athletic lineup (4-5-1)
Unai Simón – Adama Boiro, Aymeric Laporte, Daniel Vivian, Lekue – Mikel Haurregizar, Alejandro Rego, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Nico Williams, Álex Berenguer – Gorka Guruzeta.
Defender Unai Echilus, midfielder Beñat Prados and forward Maroan Sannadi are sidelined through injury. Midfielder Oihan Sanset has returned from suspension. The availability of midfielder Robert Navarro and forward Iñaki Williams is doubtful.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico lost away to Barcelona on Tuesday (1-3), ending a six-game winning streak in LaLiga. Prior to the trip to the Camp Nou, Diego Simeone's side had gone 13 league matches without defeat. Positively, the Madrid outfit have scored in 17 consecutive league fixtures and opened the scoring in each of their first 15 matches this season — a record among teams from the top five European leagues. However, only nine of those opening leads resulted in wins. Atletico sit fourth in the table, six points off the top.
- Atletico have conceded just 14 goals in this LaLiga campaign, a better record than all but two teams.
- The club's unbeaten run in the league currently stands at seven matches (6 wins, 1 defeat).
- Both teams have scored in five of Atletico's last seven away LaLiga games.
Approximate Atletico Madrid lineup (4-2-3-1)
Jan Oblak – Nahuel Molina, José María Giménez, Clément Lenglet, David Ganczko – João Cardoso, Pablo Barrios – Nicolás González, Álex Baena, Giuliano Simeone – Julián Álvarez.
Defender José María Giménez, plus midfielders Marcos Llorente and Álex Baena, are unavailable through injury. The participation of defender Robin Le Normand and midfielder João Cardoso is in doubt.
Match prediction: Athletic vs Atletico Madrid
Athletic are still some way off their best form. Over their last 12 LaLiga rounds they have managed only three wins, with more than half of the matches ending in defeats. Even at home, the Basques have won only two of their last six league outings, beating only Mallorca and Oviedo from the lower end of the table. Following the recent international break, Athletic have struggled in high-profile games, losing 0-7 across fixtures against Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Atletico come into this game having just seen a winning streak end at Barcelona, but that defeat was on the road. Before that, Diego Simeone's side had won six consecutive league matches and had gone 13 games in the competition without defeat. Historically, Athletic Bilbao have become a favourable opponent for Atletico in recent years: Atletico have won five of the last six head-to-head LaLiga meetings.
My prediction: Atletico Madrid Asian handicap (0)
* For each team the starting lineup shown refers to their previous match in this competition.
