Athletic Bilbao vs Atletico Madrid
It’s been busy in La Liga, as Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid are among the teams playing two league matches this week. Both sides are coming off losses yesterday, which have seen them slip in the Spanish top-flight table, so they’re keen to return to winning ways when they meet at San Mames on Saturday evening.
Athletic Bilbao dropped to eighth in the standings – 20 points, level with seventh-seeded Getafe – after a 3-0 home loss against Real Madrid. Manager Ernesto Valverde will hope to find some consistency from his boys, as their recent La Liga 2025 results have been mixed.
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid also lost 3-1 to Barcelona yesterday. However, Diego Simeone’s side remains fourth in the standings with 31 points, holding a seven-point cushion over fifth-seeded Real Betis.
A win here would certainly boost their hopes, but only one between Los Leones and Los Rojiblancos can do so this weekend.
Talking Points
Athletic Bilbao’s tough schedule is catching up on them
Athletic Bilbao face pressure to turn their fortunes around and remain in the European football mix, but they have a tough schedule over the next few days. Following last night’s 3-0 loss against Real Madrid, they have only a few days to prepare for Atletico Madrid before facing PSG for their next Champions League match on Wednesday night, though all of those games are at San Mames.
Head coach Ernesto Valverde is dealing with a host of injury problems, with Maroan Sannadi, Robert Navarro, Unai Egiluz, Benat Prados, and Inaki Williams all in the medical room. Not having Navarro and Williams is a big blow since they lead the team in scoring with three league goals each. Oihan Sancet is also a huge miss for Los Leones, as the forward continues to serve his suspension after getting a straight red card against Barcelona last month.
Save for the 2-0 win against Levante, Athletic Bilbao have been scoreless in four of their last five games across all competitions. With only 14 league goals and 20 conceded, Los Leones have one of the worst goal differences in Spain at -6.
Simply put, more goals are needed from the likes of Mikel Jauregizar, Gorka Guruzeta, Alex Berenguer, and Nico Williams, while Unai Simon has to be better between the sticks.
Atletico Madrid expected to make changes
Manager Diego Simeone is expected to rotate his squad, given the short turnaround between last night’s away game against Barcelona and Saturday’s away game against Athletic Bilbao.
Antoine Griezmann, Alexander Sorloth, Thiago Almada, and Conor Gallagher came off the bench last night, and they are fighting for spots in the starting XI against Los Leones. Nicolas Gonzalez and Johnny Cardoso were poor against the Blaugrana, while Giuliano Simeone was so-so, making them candidates to get relegated to the bench.
Atletico Madrid are also hoping to have Robin Le Normand back at centre-half, given Clement Lenglet’s limitations, which Dani Olmo and Raphinha exposed. Julian Alvarez, Jan Oblak, and Alex Baena are probably the non-negotiables in the starting unit.
History
Atletico Madrid completed a league double over Athletic Bilbao last season, winning both 1-0. Los Rojiblancos have won three straight games against Los Leones, but Los Leones had a three-game winning streak against Los Rojiblancos before this.
In 2023-24, Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid faced off four times. Athletic Bilbao split their league games with Atletico Madrid, winning 2-0 in December 2023 and losing 3-1 in the reverse fixture. However, Los Leones eliminated Los Rojiblancos in the Copa del Rey semi-finals (4-0 on aggregate) before eventually dispatching Mallorca in the penalty shootout during the final. This was Athletic Bilbao’s first major silverware since 1984 and their 24th cup triumph.
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2025 odds expect another close game between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid. Atletico Madrid, being the higher seed, have the slight advantage at 2.25, whereas Athletic Bilbao aren’t far behind at 3.08, and a draw is at 3.01 in the 1X2 market.
Both teams are capable of scoring a handful of goals, but their recent meetings have been low-scoring affairs. This might be the case again on Saturday, with the visitors likely to take maximum points. Besides our recommended bet, SBOTOP bettors may also add Under 2.00 at 2.23, Under 2.25 at 1.90, Under 2.50 at 1.70, and even Total Goal 0-1 at 2.63 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Atletico Madrid – the result of their last two encounters – is on offer at 6.30.
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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