Atletico Madrid continue their push for a European finish as they host fellow contenders Athletic Bilbao in a La Liga fixture on Saturday.
Atletico will be counting on their fine home record and should have the upper hand over Bilbao, who are unconvincing on their travels.
Atletico Madrid are coming off a surprise 2-0 defeat to Alaves in their previous La Liga fixture. They had plenty of possession and created numerous chances but were wasteful in front of goal.
That result highlights Atletico Madrid’s erratic showing in recent weeks having picked up three wins and suffered as many defeats in their last six La Liga matches. They are currently fourth on the standings but need to be wary of Bilbao, who are just three points behind.
One thing that has remained solid for Atletico Madrid is their record at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano, having lost once at home all season. Diego Simeone’s men have won eight of their last 10 La Liga home matches but have kept just one clean sheet in the last five in that run.
Athletic Bilbao head into Saturday’s clash having drawn 1-1 with Granada last time out in La Liga. They fell behind early in the contest through Inaki Williams’ unfortunate own goal, but Gorka Guruzeta struck the equaliser.
Although they failed to win, that result keeps Athletic Bilbao in the mix for a top-four finish, as they sit just three points behind Atletico Madrid. Ernesto Valverde’s men may have won the Copa Del Rey this season but their recent form has been unconvincing, having failed to win their last three matches.
Athletic Bilbao 9ften struggle on their travels and have picked up just one win from their last six La Liga away matches. They were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Atletico Madrid have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at evens with Betfred. A victory for Athletic Bilbao is valued at 3/1 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 27/10 by William Hill.
Head to head
Atletico Madrid have a 34-20 advantage with nine draws from 20 previous matches against Athletic Bilbao. However, Bilbao have beaten their rivals three times this season, claiming a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture before knocking them out of the Copa Del Rey.
Players to watch
Antoine Griezmann has 13 La Liga goals this season and will be the one to watch on Saturday. The forward netted a brace in the last fixture at the Civitas Metropolitano and is priced at 15/8 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Gorka Guruzeta will be the one to watch for Athletic Bilbao as he looks to add to his 14 La Liga goals. The striker has scored in two of the three meetings with Atletico Madrid and is priced at 3/1 with Unibet to find the net once again.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality on display, both teams could be backed to score on Saturday at 4/5 with 888Sport. There have been over 2.5 goals in Atletico Madrid’s last five home matches and a repeat is priced at evens with BetVictor, who is also offering 27/10 for over 2.5 goals.
Atletico Madrid have scored in both halves in four of their last six home matches and a similar pattern is priced at 9/4 by bet365.
This La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao will be played on Apr 27, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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