Comments and predictions for Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao: Hold the home team to a draw
The match between Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao in La Liga takes place at 2:00 a.m. on April 21. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao team information
Real Madrid will be without their key striker Kylian Mbappe, who is suspended following his red card against Alaves. Eduardo Camavinga returns after missing the Arsenal game through suspension. Ferland Mendy and goalkeeper Andriy Lunin are likely to return, but Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal remain long-term absentees.
Rodrygo is expected to play as a centre-forward in place of Mbappe, with Brahim Diaz likely to take over on the right flank. Fran Garcia is likely to start at left-back. Federico Valverde could drop to right-back to deal with Nico Williams – Athletic’s most dangerous striker. Although not yet fully fit, centre-back Antonio Rudiger will still start at the heart of defence.
Athletic Bilbao also have personnel problems as Inaki Williams has a groin injury and is likely to only be able to play from the bench. Yuri Berchiche (muscle) continues to be uncertain. However, they have not suffered any further losses after the win over Rangers.
Benat Prados and Gorka Guruzeta are expected to return to the starting line-up, along with goalkeeper Unai Simon, defenders Aitor Paredes and Andoni Gorosabel.
Latest Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao expected lineup
Real Madrid:
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Camavinga, Bellingham, Tchouameni; Brahim, Rodrygo, Vinicius
Athletic Bilbao:
Simon; Gorosabel, Vivian, Paredes, Lekue; Jauregizar, Prados; Berenguer, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta
Latest Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao football review
Sunday’s game is vital for Real Madrid, especially after a crushing 5-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals that knocked them out of Europe. Doubts are growing over the future of coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.
However, Real Madrid still have a big goal ahead: the domestic double. They have qualified for the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona (April 26) and still have a chance to catch up with their rivals in La Liga. The Royal team is currently second with 66 points, 4 points behind Barcelona. If Barca beat Celta Vigo before then, the gap will be 7 points and Real will have to beat Athletic to maintain hope.
Real’s recent form has been inconsistent, winning just one of their last five games in all competitions. They beat Athletic 2-0 in the first leg last season, but lost 2-1 at San Mames in December.
On the other side, Athletic Bilbao are on a high after defeating Rangers 2-0 to reach the Europa League semi-finals (2-0 on aggregate). They will face Manchester United in the last 4, the first leg of which will take place on May 1 at San Mames.
In La Liga, Ernesto Valverde and his team are playing steadily with 57 points after 31 rounds (15 wins, 12 draws, 4 losses), ranking fourth - 6 points ahead of Villarreal (5th, 1 match left to play) and 9 points ahead of Real Betis (6th). With La Liga having 5 places to participate in the Champions League next season, Bilbao will almost certainly return to this playground after many years of absence.
They are looking for a third consecutive win in all competitions, after beating Rayo Vallecano 3-1 last weekend.
Latest Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbaoas follows:
- Sportsmole:Real Madrid 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
- WhoScore:Real Madrid 2-2 Athletic Bilbao
- Our newspaper predicts:Real Madrid 2-2 Athletic Bilbao
When and where to watch Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao live?
To watch the live match Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao in La Liga taking place at 2:00 a.m. on April 21, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.