Real Madrid will be looking to strengthen their lead at the top of the La Liga standings as they host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Los Blancos appear to have moved up a gear lately, especially at home and given Bilbao’s poor record on the road, should claim the upper hand in this one.
It is shaping up to be an exciting finish to the season for Real Madrid, who are still competing on two fronts. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are into the quarter-finals of the Champions League and are currently eight points clear at the top of La Liga.
Real Madrid have been so good lately that their last La Liga defeat was a 3-1 loss to Atletico Madrid back in September. They claimed a 4-2 victory at Osasuna in their previous La Liga fixture with Vinicius Junior netting a brace.
The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu has been a fortress all season for Real Madrid, who are yet to taste defeat at home across all competitions. Some of their biggest wins have come on home soil and they defeated Celta Vigo 4-0 in their previous La Liga fixture in front of their fans.
Athletic Bilbao also have reasons to be pleased with their campaign so far as they are in the final of the Copa Del Rey while also pushing for a top four finish. Their recent form has been solid enough, suffering just one defeat in their last 11 matches across all competitions.
Bilbao travel to the Santiago Bernabeu off the back of a 2-0 victory over Alaves last time out in La Liga. A first half brace from Gorka Guruzeta was enough as they were able to hold on for the win.
While things appear smooth and rosy for Athletic Bilbao lately, a closer look at their form reveals a poor record on their travels. Ernesto Valverde’s men have picked up just one win in their last five La Liga away matches, although that win came in their previous fixture on the road as they defeated Las Palmas 2-0.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/7 by Coral to claim the win. A victory for Athletic Bilbao is valued at 5/1 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 7/2 by Unibet.
Head to head
Real Madrid have a 42-13 advantage with 11 draws from 66 previous matches against Athletic Bilbao. Los Blancos also claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in August with Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham getting the goals.
Players to watch
Vinicius Junior is suspended for Real Madrid but the good news is that Jude Bellingham is set to make his return on Sunday. The midfielder has 16 La Liga goals and having also found the net in the reverse fixture, could be backed to score anytime on Sunday at 8/5 with bet365.
Athletic Bilbao will look to Gorka Guruzeta to provide the spark in attack having scored 13 La Liga goals this season. The forward has also found the net seven times in the last 10 matches across all competitions and is priced at 19/5 by Unibet to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a six goal thriller in Real Madrid’s previous La Liga fixture and another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 2/1 by BetVictor, over 2.5 goals is valued at 3/4 by 10bet while Paddy Power is offering 4/5 on both teams to score.
Real Madrid are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao will be played on Mar 31, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
