Matchday 19 in La Liga will see Athletic take on Real Madrid on December 3 at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. Athletic vs. Real Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Athletic
In November, the inconsistent Basques alternated between wins and losses in the championship. At the end of the month, the team defeated a struggling Levante (2-0), which helped them secure the 8th spot in the standings. However, they couldn't close the gap to the European competition zone, as Athletic still trails the 6th place by 4 points. Ernesto Valverde's side has only won 3 of their last 11 La Liga matches, failing to earn any points in 6 of those encounters. Notably, the team's uncompromising streak in La Liga stands at 5 games (2 wins, 3 losses).
- Athletic has conceded in 6 of their last 8 league matches.
- The club has won with a handicap (+1.5) in 8 of their last 9 La Liga games.
- The Basques have not scored more than 1 goal in 8 of their last 10 home matches in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Athletic (4-2-3-1)
Unai Simon – Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Daniel Vivian, Lekue – Mikel Haurregui, Alejandro Rego – Robert Navarro, Nico Williams, Alex Berenguer – Gorka Guruzeta.
Due to injuries, defender Unai Echilus, midfielders Robert Navarro and Benat Prados, and forwards Inaki Williams and Maroan Sanadi will miss the game. The suspension of midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta has ended, but another midfielder, Oihan Sancet, continues to serve his ban.
Real Madrid
The team recently failed to overcome relegation-threatened Girona (1-1). This marked Real Madrid's third consecutive draw in La Liga, although they had won 10 of the first 11 rounds of the championship. The November slump led Xabi Alonso's side to lose their comfortable lead and surrender the top spot in the table. Now, the Madrid team sits second, trailing Barcelona by just 1 point. Importantly, this season in La Liga, Real Madrid has only dropped points on the road. However, their unbeaten streak in La Liga has reached 7 matches (4 wins, 3 draws). In the current championship, Real Madrid has scored a total of 29 goals, second only to Barcelona (39). In terms of goals conceded (13), Real Madrid is only behind Atletico (11).
- The club has scored in 29 of their last 30 La Liga matches.
- Madrid has not conceded more than 1 goal in 6 of their last 7 La Liga encounters.
- Both teams have scored in 5 of Real Madrid's last 7 away matches in the Spanish championship.
Predicted lineup for Real Madrid (4-3-3)
Thibaut Courtois – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Fran Garcia – Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham – Arda Guler, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe.
Due to injuries, defenders Dean Heysen, Ferland Mendy, Daniel Carvajal, and David Alaba will miss the match.
Referee
Jesus Gil (Spain)
Matches – 8 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 32;
Average yellow cards per match – 4;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 25%.
Match Prediction: Athletic vs. Real Madrid
Last Saturday, Athletic defeated Levante (2-0), but it was only their third win in the last 11 La Liga rounds. More than half of the club's matches since the start of autumn have ended in defeat, with the Basques only beating teams in the lower part of the table. It's worth noting that Athletic's games, especially at home, rarely turn into a real spectacle. Over the last 6 La Liga matches at San Mames Stadium, no more than 3 goals have been scored, and in 4 of these 6 games, we've seen just a single goal.
Real Madrid has significantly slowed down, recording 3 consecutive draws in La Liga, but their unbeaten streak in this tournament has reached 7 matches (4 wins, 3 draws). In the current season, Xabi Alonso's side has only lost in the derby against Atletico, which is their only defeat in the last 17 La Liga matches. Now, the Madrid team faces a relatively comfortable opponent. Real Madrid has earned at least 1 point in 19 of their last 20 encounters with Athletic in La Liga (14 wins, 5 draws). Returning to scoring, it's notable that in 18 of these 20 games, no more than 3 goals were scored.
Prediction – Real Madrid win or draw + total under 3.5 goals
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.
