Ath Bilbao vs Real Madrid prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-01-21 20:00.
Athletic Bilbao are still chasing their first La Liga (LL) win since the World Cup (D2, L1) following last weekend’s 3-1 Basque derby loss to Real Sociedad. Next up is another matchup with plenty of history as they meet Real Madrid in El Viejo Clásico (The Old Classic), which was until recently the most played game between two Spanish clubs, dating back to 1903.
Still close to the European qualifying positions despite those recent struggles, building on a record of one defeat from six home league matches (W4, D1) should help them stay there. A repeat of Wednesday’s 1-0 Copa del Rey win over Espanyol would be even better, as that was their fourth consecutive competitive home game without conceding (W3, D1).
After losing 2-1 to Villarreal in the league and then 3-1 in the Super Cup final to Barcelona, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted his side were in the midst of a “difficult moment”. Their hopeful resurgence became more difficult when several players picked up injuries – including David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, AurĂ©lien TchouamĂ©ni, and Lucas Vásquez – but they showed few ill-effects with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Villarreal in Thursday’s Copa del Rey action.
Also behind them is their imperious early-season away form, as two defeats from three LL road games (W1) means Los Blancos will be taking nothing for granted as they head to Bilbao, where they lost 1-0 (Copa del Rey) on their last visit. However, Real Madrid have not lost a league H2H here since March 2015 (W5, D2) so another loss would still constitute a major shock.
Players to watch: Gorka Guruzeta has scored three of Athletic’s last five LL goals, with four of his five league strikes this term coming after the 50th minute. Dangerous from the start, Karim Benzema has scored five times for Madrid in H2Hs at this ground in three goalscoring appearances, on each occasion netting the opener in a 2-1 win.
Hot stat: Only one of the last nine H2Hs (Madrid: W6, D1, L2) witnessed more than one second-half goal.