Overview
Athletic Bilbao has a record of 6 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses after 14 rounds of La Liga this season. With 20 points, the Basque team is currently eighth in the rankings, four points behind the sixth-placed Espanyol and 11 points behind the fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Ernesto Valverde's team entered this match with confidence after a 2-0 victory over Levante, in which Robert Navarro and Nico Williams scored in Valencia.
However, Athletic Bilbao have had many difficulties in maintaining stability this season. Injuries that have appeared since the beginning of the season have caused them to lose steam in the race for a top 4 spot.
At home, Bilbao has earned 13 points after 7 matches and will host Real Madrid - the team with the best away record this season with 15 points after 8 away matches.
In the 2024-2025 season, The Lions beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a similar match, but in the most recent confrontation in April this year, Los Blancos won 1-0.
Real Madrid entered this match after a 1-1 draw with Girona, the result of which extended their winless streak in La Liga to three. They shared points with Rayo Vallecano and Elche since their most recent win in the competition.
In fact, Los Blancos have not won in La Liga since the 4-0 win over Valencia on November 1. They have also won only 1 of their last 5 matches in all competitions - a difficult period for the capital team.
Xabi Alonso's team lost the top spot to Barcelona and is currently in second place, 4 points behind the defending champion (1 match less played).
Kylian Mbappe continues to be Real Madrid's biggest support, leading the scoring list in La Liga with 14 goals in 14 matches. Los Blancos will rely on the French superstar to make a breakthrough in the upcoming confrontation.
The Royal team has five more games to play ahead of the winter break in Spain, including the Champions League group stage clash with Manchester City at home on 10 December.
Personnel situation
Bilbao's squad will be strengthened with the return of midfielder Ruiz de Gareta after suspension, but Oihan Sancet will continue to be absent due to a ban.
The Lions are still facing many injuries, with Benat Prados, Unai Egiluz, Maroan Sannadi and Robert Navarro definitely unable to participate. Inaki Williams has missed the last 7 matches due to a groin injury and the possibility of playing is still open.
defro's absence is expected to pave the way for Unai Gomez to return to the starting lineup, while 18-year-old talent Selton Sanchez could also be given a starting opportunity. Aymeric Laporte is likely to return after missing the match against Levante due to illness.
On Real Madrid's side, Dani Carvajal is still sidelined with a knee injury, while Dean Huijsen, David Alaba and Raul Asencio need to be further assessed before the match.
Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger have returned from injury against Girona, and are likely to continue to form a central defender pair in the upcoming match. Alvaro Carreras will also return to the left-back position.
Eduardo Camavinga could replace Arda Guler to increase the fighting power of the midfield, while Jude Bellingham is likely to play behind the attacking duo Vinicius Junior and Mbappe.
Expected lineup:
Athletic Bilbao: Simon, Gorosabel, Laporte, Vivian, Berchiche, Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar, Berenguer, Sanchez, N. Williams, Gomez.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Rudiger, Carreras, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius.
The match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid takes place at 1:00 am on December 4 (Vietnam time).
