Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction & Match Preview

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
Spain – LaLiga
Date: Sunday, 22 December 2019
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/ 21:00 CET
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).

Real Madrid easily dealt with practically their toughest match of the season in the La Liga the last match-day. After outperforming Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Zinedine Zidane’s men are now the frontrunners for the league title, and they will want to keep the momentum going with a win this Sunday. As such, Bilbao’s impressive run at the moment is under severe threat.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Head-to-head (h2h)

• The last time these two met, Madrid won 3-0.
• Bilbao have scored a total of two goals from the prior four fixtures.
• 24 of the former 26 wins went to the Los Blancos.
• In the last 20 years, Bilbao have recorded a win at this stadium just once, and it had come back in 2005.
• 20 of the last 22 meetings at this venue ended in wins for the mighty Royal Whites.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Match Preview

After the impressive manner in which Madrid dealt with the Clasico at the Nou Camp, they have really begun hoping for the elusive league title.

Even in the absence of Eden Hazard, Marcelo etc, in midst of political unrest, and severe animosity from the crowd, Zidane’s men were the moral winners over Lionel Messi and co. And this just means one thing.

Barcelona’s reign as the favorites for Spanish Liga crown just might be over.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction

As mentioned earlier, Real Madrid had taken a trip to Barca’s home, and though the match ended in a goalless draw, the Los Blancos had dominated all through the ninety minutes. In particular, Federico Valverde’s performance was highly praised, and just maybe, Zidane might have found a gem for the next decade at the Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Bilbao were at home, but could not make good use of it, as they had to share the spoils at the end of the ninety minutes with a 0-0 scoreline against Eibar.

As things stand, Real Madrid are heavy favorites this Sunday. The first and foremost reason would be the stature the team holds in Spanish football, and in world football. They are widely acknowledged to be the greatest team in the world (Barca fans, please cover your eyes).

On top of that, the last several match-days, the team just has been on fire. They are unbeaten in their previous 12 games, and have lost just twice from their previous 26 fixtures. To further enhance their chances, the team has been awarded the home advantage too this weekend.

At this venue, Real Madrid have been unbeaten this whole season, and have scored a total of 29 goals from their prior ten appearances here.

Most importantly, the Madrid outfit have been merciless in their prior h2h encounters against Bilbao. In fact, in the last nine years, only once have Athletic won against this opponent, and at this venue, in the past two decades, only once have Madrid lost.

To further make it clear, Real Madrid registered 24 of the last 26 h2h wins, and at home, they managed to win 20 of the previous 22 meetings here at the Bernabeu.

In addition, the Royal Whites have scored twice or more against this team in 19 of the prior 21 clashes here, while they have conceded twice or more just thrice since 1999 in front of the home crowd.

Moreover, while Bilbao may be going through a good stretch of games at the moment, keep note that their stats on the road are worrying.

In fact, they have a total of two wins on the road this season, and just one away win in the La Liga  – one against the newly-promoted Osasuna (league), and the other against minnows CF Intercity (CDR).

Taking into account these observations, count on the hosts, Real Madrid, to record a comfortable, yet dominating win this Sunday.

Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Betting Tips

• Over 1.5 Team Goals by Real Madrid @ 1.44 (4/9)

• Real Madrid -0.5, -1 Asian Handicap @ 1.40 (2/5).