Matchday 19 of La Liga between Athletic and Real Madrid will take place on December 3 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. Athletic vs. Real Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Athletic
In November, the inconsistent Basque side alternated between victories and defeats in the league. At the end of the month, they overcame a struggling Levante team (2-0), which helped them secure the 8th spot in the standings. However, they failed to close the gap to the European competition zone and remain 4 points behind the 6th place. Overall, Ernesto Valverde's men have won only 3 of their last 11 La Liga matches, failing to earn any points in 6 of those encounters. Notably, the team's uncompromising streak in La Liga includes 5 matches (2 wins, 3 losses).
- Athletic has conceded in 6 of their last 8 league games.
- The club has won with a handicap (+1.5) in 8 of their last 9 La Liga matches.
- The Basque side has not scored more than 1 goal in 8 of their last 10 home games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Athletic (4-2-3-1)
Unai Simón – Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Daniel Vivian, Lekue – Mikel Haurregui, Alejandro Rego – Robert Navarro, Nico Williams, Alex Berenguer – Gorka Guruzeta.
Due to injuries, the team will be without defender Unai Etxeberria, midfielders Robert Navarro and Beñat Prados, forwards Iñaki Williams and Maroane Sannadi. The suspension of midfielder Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta has ended, but another midfielder, Oihan Sancet, continues to serve his ban. Defender Yuri Berchiche's participation in the match is in doubt.
Real Madrid
The team recently failed to defeat Girona from the relegation zone (1-1). This marked Real's third consecutive draw in La Liga, although they had won 10 of the first 11 rounds of the championship. This November slump led Xabi Alonso's side to lose their comfortable lead and relinquish the top spot in the table. Now, the Madrid side sits in second place, one point behind Barcelona. Importantly, in this La Liga season, Real has dropped points exclusively on the road. Meanwhile, their unbeaten run in La Liga has reached 7 matches (4 wins, 3 draws). In the current league campaign, Madrid has scored a total of 29 goals, second only to Barcelona (39). In terms of goals conceded (13), Real is only behind Atlético (11).
- The club has scored in 29 of their last 30 La Liga matches.
- Madrid has not conceded more than 1 goal in 6 of their last 7 La Liga encounters.
- Both teams have scored in 5 of Real's last 7 away games in the Spanish championship.
Predicted lineup for Real Madrid (4-3-3)
Thibaut Courtois – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Fran García – Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham – Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé.
Due to injuries, defenders Dani Carvajal and David Alaba will miss the game. The participation of defenders Dean Huysen and Raúl Asensio is in doubt.
Match Prediction: Athletic vs. Real Madrid
Last Saturday, Athletic defeated Levante (2-0), but it was only their third win in the last 11 La Liga rounds. More than half of their league matches since the start of autumn have ended in defeat, with the Basque side only managing to beat teams from the lower part of the table. It's also worth noting that Athletic's games, especially at home, rarely turn into truly spectacular events. In 6 consecutive La Liga matches at San Mamés, no more than 3 goals have been scored, and in 4 of these 6 matches, we've seen just 1 goal.
Real has slowed down and recorded 3 consecutive draws in La Liga, yet their unbeaten streak in this tournament has reached 7 matches (4 wins, 3 draws). In the current league season, Xabi Alonso's side has only lost in the derby against Atlético, which is their sole defeat in the last 17 La Liga encounters. Now, Madrid faces a relatively favorable opponent. Real has earned at least 1 point in 19 of their last 20 La Liga meetings with Athletic (14 wins, 5 draws). As for goal scoring, in 18 of these 20 games, no more than 3 goals were scored.
Prediction – Real Madrid to win or draw + total under 3.5 goals
